It’s soon to be that time of year again where way too much of the good stuff over the silly season will guilt us into making a series of New Year’s resolutions declaring that this, yes this, will be our year of big change.
This year I will dump my annoying boyfriend for someone more deserving of me; I will give up sugar, wheat, dairy, drinking, smoking and anything that doesn’t honour my body; I promise to actually use my gym membership more than twice and I will pay off all my debt, and start investing wisely (as in no more shoes!)
Pop the brakes on and let’s just stop for a second. Now is the time to acknowledge that if we are at the beginning of yet another New Year with yet more of the same old resolutions, then clearly something in our approach is just not working.
It will take a little bit of time and a lot of thinking, but if you are really serious and 100 percent willing to back yourself and really go for it this year, follow these 10 achievable steps to ensure that you get as much out of 2013 as you hoped for.
Step 1
Create a list of all the key areas that make up your life from career, health and money to relationships, family and wellbeing. Don’t leave anything out.
Step 2
Now give each area a mark out of 10 in terms of how happy you are with that particular area, one being the absolute lowest and 10 being super fantastic.
Step 3
Go back over each area and ask yourself these questions. “What really got in the way of me making this happen last year?” and “How did I sabotage this for myself/what excuse did I have for not doing it last year?” Read back over what you have written and have a serious conversation with yourself as to whether you are finally willing to let the excuses go and start moving forward.
Step 4
Take each area, one at a time, and write a couple of lines about how you would like it to look and feel a year from now. Be as detailed and specific as possible. Manifesting is a process that many avoid and yet done effectively can be the one constant that keeps you focused on your outcomes.
Step 5
A year is a long time, so take each area and define four specific and measurable, time based goals to work towards. These need to be goals that really inspire you and that when achieved will have considerable impact on your life. Work backwards and create one year, six months, three months and one month goals for each area. Now commit these goals to your calendar.
Step 6
Map out specific steps and actions, like when you will go the gym, when you will have done your tax return or handed in your notice etc. and then put them in your diary/calendar. Once you reach three months, be sure to acknowledge what you have achieved and then repeat the process to begin working towards your six month goal.
Step 7
Schedule and commit to weekly reviews of where you are at with your goals and then structure what specific actions need to be completed that week and put them in your diary/calendar. Use lists, Post It notes, reminders and any resources needed to ensure you follow through on your commitments.
Step 8
There is nothing like a weekly check in with someone that knows your plan and is willing to support you sticking to it. So look at how to create the support structures around you to help you stay on track, who and what would be good for this?
Step 9
Write a letter to yourself, reminding yourself why achieving these goals and ultimately the specific changes in your life, will make such a difference. Be sure to acknowledge to yourself what will be hard about the process, but equally how you know you can actually make all this happen this year.
Step 10
Last but not least, write a description of what your life will look like at the end of the year with all your goals achieved. Write it in present tense and with as much detail as possible. Now take this fabulous vision of how life will look and put it somewhere that you can see it everyday, knowing that if you don’t have a clear focus on where you want to be, you will end up in exactly the same place this time next year!
And remember: You get one life, so make this the year that you really commit to yourself and go for it!
Vashti Whitfield is a professional life coach and facilitator, you can read more of her tips here