The start of a new year is the perfect opportunity to start anew or even to start over and I’m sure that’s the intention behind many New Year’s resolutions. It’s only a few weeks into my own new start and I’m finding it’s the pressure I’m putting on myself that’s causing me the most angst. I’m talking about the pressure to have arrived at my destination when I’ve really only just begun the journey. It’s got me wondering if this could be why New Year’s resolutions are often all but forgotten by mid-February?
Some questions to ponder on your own resolutions:
- Is your resolution realistically achievable in the time frame you’ve allowed? (Have you even given it a time frame?)
- Is it based on “fixing” some thing you feel is lacking? (What words are you saying to yourself as you decide on your resolution?)
- Do you have a strategy in place to make sure you succeed? (What steps will you take to get there?)
- Have you set yourself up for success? (Who and what are surrounding yourself with?)
- What resources do you have in place for those times when you hit a roadblock? (How quickly can you recover and get going again?)
- How will you celebrate the milestones along the way? (How will you know you’ve hit them?)
One of the other things I think we forget with to bring along with New Year’s resolutions is the success and wisdom from what we’ve already accomplished. When starting over we don’t start from scratch, we bring a lifetime of learning and wisdom, failure and success, all of which are great resources to draw on for lasting change.
So, if you want more from your New Year’s resolutions and starting over:
- Frame them up with a forward focus towards what you want rather than something you want to get away from.
- Give yourself time to learn the skills to your new way of being.
- Have strategies in place to take you there, a roadmap if you will.
- Build in plans that keep you going when the going gets tough.
- Stop and appreciate the sights along the way.
You can’t arrive at a destination when you’ve only just begun the journey; be on the journey to your destination. Even though you may be starting over, you’re not starting from scratch. You have a lifetime of wisdom to draw on. Start with these two things and you’ll find starting over is a lot less stressful than you first thought it was.
Daunted by the changes you want to make in 2019? Contact me to find out how partnering with a life coach can help your new year’s successes be long lasting ones.