It’s a new year, and so many people start out the year with “resolutions” that they won’t keep. Why does this happen? The answer boils down to something like this … the spirit with which the resolutions are made does not survive beyond the first few challenges. In order to make resolutions that will stand the test of time, we need constant reminders of the resolve that we had when making those resolutions in the first place. In his book, The Miracle Morning, Hal Elrod shares the importance of daily affirmations, and why these can be a powerful tool to help maintain the spirit with which we set some of our goals.
Here’s a different way you can do this: In addition to creating some standard resolutions, commitments, or goals for the coming year, choose 5 words that will be meaningful to you in the year ahead, 5 words that will create a foundation for what you want in your life. Examples from people I have coached on this include:
- Growth – to signify your commitment to learning and/or increasing your results in your business.
- Positivity – to signify your desire to live more happily
- Love – to signify the importance of new love in your life
- Habits – to remind you of the key habits you are developing
- Energy – to remind you to bring energy to your daily tasks
- Discipline – to remind you to make the tough choices in the moment.
Other words could be Integrity, Balance, Faith, Sharing, Contribution, Presence, Appreciation, or something that has a private meaning to you.
Post your 5 words in places where you will see them often. Somewhere else, further develop the specific meaning of the 5 words in your life, and read these reminders every day. If you focus on truly living in accordance with your 5 words, you will inevitably achieve a lot of the specific goals that are associated with them.
THE NEXT LEVEL
Now if you really want to take this concept to the highest level, what you can do is to create Vision Statements for your life. These are descriptive, written statements about your future. They are usually written from the perspective of being at a future time and having already accomplished all of that which you envision. The purpose of a vision statement is to help someone consciously create what they want in their life and attract their goals into reality by clearly identifying them, then frequently re-reading them. They should be inspiring enough to help a person maintain a high level of enthusiasm for his or her goals throughout the natural ups and down that happen as we live our lives each year.
An example might look like this ….
“It’s December 31st, 2020, and I’m in ________ to celebrate New Years Eve with family and friends. I have so much to look back on that I am proud of from this past year. As I prepare for the festivities tonight, I’m reviewing my list of goals for the year and reveling in how many of the goals I have been able to check off.
First, in my work, I was able to achieve my best year ever and I accomplished …. (list specific achievements here). Now I’m in position to achieve _________ in 2021, and I’m entering the new year with more confidence and enthusiasm than ever before! Personally, I have consistently kept my commitments for health and fitness in the past year. I have succeeded in working out an average of 4 times per week, have improved my eating habits by …. (specific changes here), and my weight has been steady at about ____ for the past few months. I have been sleeping better than any time in the past few years, and I have more energy than I have ever had!
I committed to fully engaged personal time with my spouse and children and have been able to follow through on that commitment at most times throughout this past year. My relationships are thriving, I’m feeling fitter than I have in 10 years, and my business is growing faster than I even thought possible before this year. I’m also contributing to my community in new ways, including …. (fill in details here).
Overall, I can say that 2020 was undoubtedly my best year ever, and I know I can take it to an even higher level in 2021. I have so much to be grateful for, and so much to celebrate as we turn the page on 2020 tonight.”
I think you get the idea here.
Beyond just the listing of achievements and milestones, take it a step further and describe the way you are FEELING in that moment, one year from now. You want to be able to anchor in the emotions of having done everything you want when you read the vision statement and remind yourself frequently throughout the year. So, be as specific as you can possibly be … Where are you? What are you doing? What have you accomplished? How are you feeling? What are you looking forward to?
Vision Statements. A very special way to craft your “resolutions” and remind yourself in a frequent and powerful enough way to maintain the sprit with which the resolutions are made.
You have so little to lose and so much to gain by taking these concepts to heart and actually following through on them. Now is your chance to set yourself up for a truly MAGICAL year ahead.
But it’s not really magic. It’s a craft. Make it happen!
For more help with goal-setting and goal-achievement, check out my latest podcast episode –