A new year is upon us once again and since you’re reading this, it’s not your first rodeo so I’m going to guess you fall in to one of two camps:
- Camp Set Resolutions, Crush Them!
- Camp IDGAF About Resolutions Anymore
Regardless of which camp you fall in to, you’re probably taking some time to look back and reflect. If you have any form of social media, it’s not really giving you any other choice but to look back!
But the end of 2019 is drawing even more attention because it’s the end of a decade.
Not only are we being called to reflect upon the last year, we’re being asked to reflect upon the last TEN YEARS.
If I think about mine, I have definitely had some up’s and down’s, but not enough to where I’m thinking I’d be fine coasting through the remainder of my life.
I want to pursue and achieve big dreams, and reflecting upon this last decade, there’s nothing to suggest that I cannot do it in this upcoming decade.
Let’s pull back on the reigns a bit here and not focus too much on the start of 2030…
All that can be achieved in this next decade starts with this next year.
2020 sets the tone for the rest of the decade, so if you’re serious about growth and reaching new levels of your potential, then let’s dive into some strategies for making 2020 your year.
Fill in the Categories
Too often New Year’s Resolutions focus on either health or finance. Now, that’s not WRONG, but if you want to make 2020 your year and really set the tone for the decade, then I recommend looking at resolutions outside of just those two categories.
I like to set goals in five different categories:
- Physical
- Mental
- Relational
- Spiritual
- Business
I want you to select a goal for each of the five categories.
“ALL FIVE?”
Yes, and I do know the success rates of New Year’s Resolutions.
Hear me out.
On the outside, this appears to go against everything I coach – start small and work into adding more things – but it actually coincides with ALL that I teach my clients – it’s not
JUST about losing weight, what you eat, or how often you work out, it’s about ALL of you.
I absolutely want you to look and feel the way you see yourself in your dreams, but more importantly, I’m concerned with developing a healthy PERSON.
What does it matter if you feel you finally look like the #fitgirls on the internet if you have no family or friends to spend your time with?
Who cares if you can pick up massive weights if you don’t have the money to pick up the check or bills?
I may not be able to coach you in all five categories, but I can point you in the right direction and help keep you on the right path.
My favorite part about setting goals in all five categories is realizing how quickly they all intertwine. You begin doing things that bring you one step closer to success in multiple categories, and before you know it, you’re growing and succeeding in a multitude of ways.
Spend some time thinking about what it is you want to achieve in 2020 for all five of these categories. Don’t rush into things and be sure to take the time to consider all that may go into the process (more to come on that).
Write It Down
One of the best ways to brainstorm and think about where to focus in each of the categories is to write out a list.
Make a list for each category and put down EVERY idea that crosses your mind (if you thought it, there’s desire behind it).
Once you feel you’ve come up with every possible idea, start crossing the things off that you’re not quite ready to tackle or that don’t REALLY interest you.
Trim that list down gradually until you can finally settle on one thing for each category.
Then, take a separate sheet of paper and write out the goal for each category.
That’s your master list. I want you to place that somewhere you look every single day. It must be in plain view and able to capture your attention, so you’re refreshed on your goals every day.
Now you’re not quite done writing things out yet.
If you feel you need any additional copies of your master list, write them out. These
could be placed at work, a few places around the house, or even saved as a picture or note on your phone.
Next, write out each goal on its own sheet of paper (Sticky Notes work GREAT!). These are going to be placed in locations where you see or are taking the action steps to reach that goal. You might place a note for your physical goals on the fridge or in your gym bag, and the one for your relational goals on your calendar or planner.
The hardest part about goals and resolutions is making the actions habits. We forget about them because we’re used to doing things a certain way; therefore, we need to be reminded often. Put notes wherever you need them to keep yourself focused on the goal and reminded of the action steps to get there (more on that to come too).
Map It Out
You’ve narrowed it down, settled on goals, and written them out, but that doesn’t guarantee we’ll get there…
It’s just like knowing that the Statue of Liberty is in New York and just jumping in the car and onto the highway to drive there.
I am AWFUL at geography and directions so much so that if I tried to drive to New York, I would probably end up going west instead of east.
I rely on Siri A LOT. We may fight often, but I trust her to lay out each step of the route for me.
Mapping it out is simply taking that large goal you set for the year and breaking that down into smaller goals.
It’s like pre-determining your pitstops and stretch breaks, we want to be sure we stop along the path and are still headed in the right direction.
There are two strategies for this – working forwards or working backwards. Both work GREAT, and I’ll be honest, I use both. The difference simply lies in whether you start with where you’re currently at to devise how to get there or where you need to get to.
Regardless, we need to plan steps along the way, so here are some common points or stops I recommend:
- 2 Weeks
- 1 Month
- 2 Months
- 3 Months
- 6 Months
- 9 Months
- 11 Months
- 12 Months (The End)
Now, you notice more common checks or stops early on in the process, that’s because we want to be sure we establish ourselves on the right path early on and set habits into place from the beginning. Dependent upon your goal, you may want even more frequent check ins early on, and it’s possible you continue with higher frequency check ins throughout your journey.
Fill In the Details
The destination and route are set, what more do you need?
How about the details of your trip? What supplies or things do you need? What do you already have?
The last thing you want is to start out on your journey only to realize there are so many things missing or unknown.
We want to know every detail of this journey.
You might think I’m just being a Type A personality but filling in those details can really help eliminate what I like to call decision fatigue.
Think about all the things you have to choose and decide upon during the day. By the end of the day most of us end up with the “Don’t Care” attitude. That’s decision fatigue.
We’re so tired from making decisions all throughout our day that the easiest answer sounds like the best one.
If we fill in the details to our goals and make some decisions ahead of time, we reduce our likelihood for decision fatigue and keep ourselves focused on instilling good habits.
Tell Everyone
You read that right – tell everyone.
It’s not a recommendation or suggestion, it’s something that can significantly improve your likelihood for success.
Tell your family, significant other, friends, co-workers, and anyone else you can think of!
The more people who know your goals, the better!
The reality is that we can only keep ourselves accountable for so long, and once that’s out, it’s really hard to keep ourselves going if we don’t have anyone else to keep us accountable.
Trust me, I feel the eye rolls and I hear the “HELL NO” but I promise, it makes a difference. We have grown into this culture fearful of admitting our weaknesses and the things we need to improve upon in ourselves. Who cares what other people think? If they don’t support your GROWTH and HAPPINESS then do you REALLY need them in your life.
Think of it like strengthening your defenses against your old habits. When your family and friends are expecting you to achieve these goals, you make sure they get done.
It hurts to let yourself down, but when you let down your parents, significant other, or friends feels downright AWFUL. If I’m being honest, they’ll probably give you more of a hard time about it than you could ever give yourself.
Start With Step #1
You’ve set the goal, written it down, laid out the course, filled in the details, and built your accountability system.
You are so close to being ready to rock n’ roll on these goals, there’s just one last thing to do – get started!
The final piece to making 2020 YOUR YEAR is to get started.
Don’t feel like you need to change every aspect of your life on Day #1 because all you need to do is start one thing.
Start with the very first step, and watch as you build momentum to keep yourself moving toward the next steps.
About The Author
Jordan Davies is the Co-Owner of Complete Performance. Jordan has her B.S. in Exercise Science and Psychology, and her M.A. in Holistic Health Studies. She is a CSCS certified strength and conditioning coach, and a PN-1 and NCI-1 certified nutrition coach. She loves to study how the human body needs to be moved and nourished and making that fit to your unique lifestyle. Click Here Now to Apply for Coaching with Jordan.
