Is it time for a Reset?

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Congratulations! June is the half-way mark to completing your New Year’s Resolutions! Yay? 

According to statisticbrain.com, roughly 45% of those who make New Year’s resolutions make it to six months. However, 42.4% of those who make New Year’s resolutions never succeed at all. Unfortunately, I have fallen into both of those statistics more than once in my lifetime.  Sigh.

Like many with good intentions and high enthusiasm in January, we rush out and begin working on our resolutions with grit and determination. Slowly, life happens and we give ourselves permission to “skip a day” here and there. As enthusiasm turns into boredom and wanes into tedious monotony, the resolution eventually falls to the wayside; ultimately discarded like yesterday’s trash.

Guilt and disappointment immediately set in. Failure again. However, the guilt quickly subsides as excuses alleviate the sting of failure for yet another year.   

Does this sound like your experience?

Does it really have to end that way? What if you were able to reinvigorate your enthusiasm and finally complete those elusive goals you’ve set for yourself year after year? 

It is possible. I know it is because last year, I did. It was as if I had an epiphany and things changed. I want to share with you what helped me. Before we get started, we will need to take a look back to better understand why many of us abandon our goals.  

Why do we abandon our goals?

There has been a lot of articles and discussions on why so many abandon their goals.  There are plenty of reasons.  I will cover four of those reasons to put things into perspective.  Brace yourself. The last one will hurt the ego as the truth often does:  

Overwhelmed – Many times we set a goal but fail to set a realistic and flexible plan on how to get there. With the lack of a plan, the goal often becomes overwhelming and seemingly impossible to achieve.

Impatience – We become impatient due to unrealistic expectations. We may have the goal of losing 50 pounds this year, but we expect miraculous results within 2 months with minimal change in diet and exercise.    

Too Busy – Having difficulty finding the time to engage in the resolution, especially those requiring changes to our lifestyle and schedule.

Uncommitted – Let’s face it. If we were fully committed to the resolutions we voluntarily made, we would figure out how to complete it even when it’s inconvenient or difficult.  This one was an eye-opener for me because I fooled myself for so long convincing myself that I was committed. I wasn’t.

Ouch!  Now that we got that we got some real truth, we can move forward to focus on our goals. 

Time for a reset?  

Good News! Now that it’s June, there are still six months left to complete those resolutions. 

Last year, tired of not fulfilling all of my resolutions year after year, I decided to make some changes to help me accomplish them. I imagined and realized what it would be like to finally complete my goal.  I’m asking you to do the same thing.

Imagine at the end of the year celebrating successfully achieving your goals. What does that experience look and feel like?  

Once I imagined the experience, I opened myself to taking the steps to actualize the experience. The following are seven simple tips that helped me accomplish my 2016 resolutions and is keeping me on track in 2017:

Recommit and restructure your goal.

I created a reasonable plan that was both measurable and flexible. The flexibility was key because in the past I often failed because my goal was too stringent.  I had committed to working out at five every morning and believed I failed if I didn’t accomplish it.  When I further thought about it, I realized that my ultimate goal was to be healthy and workout minimally four times a week. I allowed myself flexibility as long as I completed the weekly goal. 

Change your perspective.

Instead of envisioning the pain of the hard work, I envisioned the experience and satisfaction of actually completing the goal. The vision of success outweighed the pain of the hard work because I knew down the road I would see success.  I also set up a digital vision board that constantly reminds me of what success looks like.  (My vision board was a simple PowerPoint slide with pictures and icons of my goals, favorite scriptures, and quotes from songs saved as a .png file. I could then pull it up whenever I needed a burst of encouragement).

Break larger goals into smaller parts.

This was very important for me because one of the main reasons why I failed in the past was because the goal often seemed overwhelming and impossible. When I broke down my weight loss goals to smaller monthly goals, it wasn’t as difficult to achieve.

Seek a partner who will hold you accountable.  

I partnered with a couple of people who was able to not only share the same goal but didn’t play. We held each other accountable for our mess.  We didn’t allow excuses and encouraged each other when needed.  

Celebrate wins. Establish consequences.

I allowed myself to celebrate wins when I accomplished a milestone. The celebrations were bigger when a major milestone was accomplished. (A weekly win may be a bright symbolic checkmark on my calendar, a monthly win may be a small purchase and a three-month win may be a special outing). Consequences followed the same process. (Celebrate your wins this year with our 2017 Moving in Faith toward My Purpose! Collection).

I created a movement to keep me focused in 2017!
Learn more at www.netkient.com

Track progress.

Tracking my progress gave me a visual representation of my efforts. Somehow it offered a symbolic acknowledgment that I was achieving my goal and that I was fully engaged. It definitely increased my confidence and motivated me to continue.

Prayer works.

I started and finished my day in prayer and asked for help with changing my mindset when it came to accomplishing my goals. Prayer and scripture provided a base for me to work from and really helped me get through the challenging times. 

I struggled with this resolution for years!

It’s your year to achieve your goals!

There is still ample opportunity to successfully complete your New Year’s resolutions or your goals. I look forward to hearing what works for you in the comments section and if these tips inspire you to keep going.  I'd love to hear from you!

This is the challenge I presented in January. It's still not too late!

Let this year be different from past years of abandoning your New Year’s resolutions. Stay encouraged! Every day you stick with it moves you closer to success. Remember the seven steps! Blessings!

Nanette Kirk is the President and CEO of NetKi Enterprises, A resume writing, and motivational services company. We are taking a step to improve our perspective and help our clients reach newer heights in their career. To learn more about us, get free resources or receive career tips in email go to www.netkienterprises.com. Be inspired at our sister site at www.netkient.com. Follow me and the NetKi Enterprises Company page on LinkedIn.