It’s a New Year, and with that comes the hope of tackling new goals or trying yet again to reach the ones we’ve failed to hit before. Whether it be losing 15 pounds, taking more time for relaxation or getting ahead at work, there is a secret to motivating yourself to achieve. And I am here to share it with you.
Our lives can be divided into several categories. They can be categorized in any way you chose, but I lump them into seven groups: spiritual, family, work, finances, recreation, health/fitness, social relationships. Most of us have two or three of these areas in life that we excel in, and that’s because we value them most.
Look at the list. If you don’t intuitively know which are your strengths, rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest) for each category. You can ask yourself questions such as “How much time/money do I spend on this area of my life each week?” “How much do I talk about this area of my life?” or “If someone else were to watch me for a day, or walk around my house, what would he think my priorities were?” Take a moment and identify your top priorities:
- Spiritual
- Family
- Work
- Financial Security
- Recreation/Hobbies/Fun
- Health/fitness
- Social relationships/Friends
Your score should reveal the areas that you are most dedicated to, and likely the ones in which you are already highly achieving. However, most of us will try to set New Year’s resolutions in areas of our lives that aren’t naturally a priority, since those are things that could use the most improvement. So here’s my secret: when you goal set, LINK your goal PSYCHOLOGICALLY to more than one area of your life, ideally associating the goal with an area of life that is naturally of high priority for you. So, if you’ve never been good at going to the gym regularly and you would much rather be playing with your kids or putting in hours at the office, when you set a fitness goal you should SEE in your mind’s eye how that fitness goal will help in your family and work life! For example, losing weight and increasing my cardiovascular fitness will help me be more active when playing with my children and help me to live longer to enjoy my future grandchildren. Being more fit will increase my productivity at work and I’ll look more attractive when making sales calls. I’ll also be decreasing my stress levels when I exercise so I’m happier at work and home.
It’s natural to be better at some areas of life than others. But now you know the secret to improving in those other areas too. It is a small adjustment to your thinking in goal setting but it can easily lead you to attaining those pesky resolutions you’ve been unable to conquer in the past. Start today! Use this secret to your advantage and start writing what you want to achieve in 2017!
P.S. If cleaning up your eating habits is one of your New Year’s Goals, come join our 10 day food cleanse starting this week! Our info meeting is free – call us to RSVP!