Easy Steps to successful New Year Resolutions... Go Big, start small.

I have had many unsuccessful attempts at achieving New Year resolutions under my belt, a veritable catalogue of discarded ideas that fell by the wayside within a matter of months, despite determined beginnings. From wanting to lead a healthier lifestyle, move house, write a book, do an MA,, qualify as a specialist Behavioural coach, even learning to care-less, have all for years evaded my grasp.

It’s not that my goals or resolutions were too big, nor that I wasn’t capable of achieving each and every one of them, which I have now done, but because whilst I knew what I wanted to achieve I had no idea how to achieve it. So if you have a New Years Resolution that you are determined this year to achieve, here are my simple but effective steps to help you succeed..

Start Small, but start somewhere. (and I mean really small)
Without action there can be no progress but we often try to introduce change on a level that is far too ambitious to maintain. For example, if you want to get fit, start with a few squats a day whilst waiting for the kettle to boil, or brushing your teeth.

Talk back to your inner critic, listen out for those unhelpful thoughts...

Strangely your inner critic voices are there to keep you safe, so you don’t stray out of your comfort zone, but instead of keeping you safe, they are keeping you small. When you hear them, acknowledge them, thank them for trying to keep you safe, but let them know you’ve got this and you can cope just fine.

Easy and Enjoyable.

Whatever you are aiming for, making it easy and as enjoyable as possible will make a massive difference. Create the ideal space, metaphorical and physical to help you, and if needed, find support to spur you on.

Permission not to be Perfect.
Vital in achieving any goal is to recognise there will be set backs, days when nothing goes according to plan, or you slide back into old habits. That is just fine. Everyone does this, and there are always bad days, even bad weeks. Forgive yourself any set backs, review the goal still matters, and give yourself permission to be human, reset, try again tomorrow.

Stick to the journey..

Setting yourself a goal is as much a journey of discovery about yourself as it is about being successful. Notice what you notice about your journey. What works, what doesn’t where you might need extra support and how you feel. Give yourself your best chance, by looking after yourself and learning what the best possible conditions are for you to succeed.

Sometimes we set resolutions that we feel we ‘should’ achieve, but are actually more important to others than ourselves, and these are rarely successful. Find something that matters to you;

maybe make that your goal this year to find out what matters most to you, and how to build a life around your own values and hopes.

Any goal is achievable if it is at all humanly possible. The snag, the barrier, will be if you don’t really believe it to be possible for yourself. If you think that ‘someone like me’ isn’t capable of getting the promotion, leading a team, having a healthier lifestyle, speaking in public, writing a book or even enjoying work. If you hold deep down doubts about how capable you really are, how much potential you have, then this is an important first step to address as it will always hold you back.

With the right support and beliefs in place, anyone is capable of anything, and can achieve far far more than you might imagine.

Make 2022 a Year where you find fulfillment and happiness working with what you already have to achieve what you really want.

(.. and if you want any help, give me a call)

Clare Richmond