I talked yesterday about tips for setting New Year’s Resolutions, and gave you an idea of 7 healthy resolutions you might want to try out. But once you have your resolution identified, how do you make it happen? I believe it comes down to just two things:
- Relentless follow-through and willingness to get back on the wagon
- Belief in yourself
I know, it sounds too simple to be true, but those two things are a whole lot harder than they sound.
Relentless Follow-Through
If your goal were easy to accomplish, you would have done so a long time ago, right? Most goals that are worth achieving are not easy, but the pride you’ll feel once you accomplish your goals will be worth every minute of dedication. Breaking your big goal into “bite-sized” pieces and rewarding yourself for interim accomplishments is one way to make it just a bit easier.
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One way to keep your eye on the prize is to track your efforts daily. I’ve put together a calendar for you to make this as easy as possible. All you have to do is print it out, and clarify your goal at the top (write in that you want to eat vegetables 5 times per day, go to a spin class 3 times per week, or learn a new fitness activity one time per month, for example). Each day, put a checkmark or a smiley face inside the box when you complete your goal. You can use the space to take notes – add in tick marks for each bottle of water you drink, write down how you feel, or make a list of the veggies you’ve tried that day. You can click on the picture below to download the pdf file – if you want the Word document so you can edit the calendar, just email me. 
(Note that I got some calendar help from this site and then customized each one)
Even while you’re tracking your day-to-day efforts, it’s important to remember that it’s not what you do on one single day that matters, but what you do every day routinely. So, if you slip up one day, I do not want you to throw in the towel! Get up, brush yourself off, and work towards your goal just as hard tomorrow! Every day is a new chance to get it right, so look towards your ultimate goal rather than looking back at any missteps you have. 
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Belief in Yourself
We have all made excuses for why we “couldn’t” accomplish one goal or another, and we’ve all stood in our own way of reaching our dreams. 2014 is not that time for that – tell yourself that you CAN achieve your goals, and you’re far more likely to do so. 
(unfortunately, I cannot find the picture source, so please let me know if you have it!)
If you do make a New Year’s Resolution, go all in! Believe that you ARE going to change your life in 2014, and take every action in your power to make it happen. 
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And if you’re still thinking of excuses for why you “can’t” achieve your goal, I’ll leave you with this powerful quote… 
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Spill It Sunday/ Mondays 
On a lighter note, did you notice that I skipped “Spill It Sundays” yesterday? My post was just too long already, but I love Arman’s link-up (check out other posts here), so here we go! This week’s topic asked us to list some shocking (or random) events that we came across in 2013. Of course, I wanted to stick to health-related events, and I found two things to share with you:
- A wonderful round-up of 2013’s to health and fitness stories, including: eating fat for your health, going organic when you can, reducing sugar and artificial sweeteners, and saving room for chocolate!
- A shocking story that I read yesterday about a 12-year-old girl suffering from a rare and terrible disease. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!
One last note … I hope that you all have a healthy, safe, and happy New Year’s Eve, and I look forward to experiencing 2014 with you! There are great things in store for The Lyons’ Share!
So tell me in the comments … What tips help you achieve your goals? What do you think about the stories I linked to? Any exciting New Year’s Eve plans?
As always, another fantastic post- I often find when setting goals, I want them accomplished ASAP instead of slow and steady= with the latter resulting in actual success. I like the idea behind small, more often goals- this will make it so much more possible to follow through with it!
Off to check out those links now- Have a great New Year! 😀
Yes, that instant gratification thing is a bummer – but sometimes the most rewarding goals take the longest to achieve!
I love these! I printed out the last two and I’m putting that up on my 1/2 marathon training board. Every year I make goals for myself, then each month I break them down into smaller, bite sized chunks to make them more manageable. That worked for me well last year.
I’m so glad you liked them, Tonya! Breaking goals down into bite-sized chunks is critical! Good luck on your goals this year.
For me it has to be SMART, and I have to actually be committed to doing it. In 2011 my brother was running his first marathon and wanted me to join, but I never committed and therefore never really even started towards it as a goal. But in 2012 I had very different mindset – and one thing I know about myself is I have an iron will and once I decide something it is DONE.
I did the same thing with my previous job – I had decided after ~12 years in 2004 i wanted to leave, but it wasn’t until 2007 that I made the ‘resolution’, set the goals in motion mid year (half the resolution was to make an internal change and see if that helped by July 1st) … and by the end of 2007 I was doing a 3-month contract at a clean-energy startup, and accepted a job at Corning early in 2008!
As for New Years, Lisa is working 31st and 1st, one son already has a party, other son probably will as well – so chances are it will be Lisa and I on the couch, with her asleep as the ball drops 🙂 Not saying that is a bad thing 🙂
I really relate to what you just said about your job. Glad you made the change! Sorry for Lisa working, but a night in at home doesn’t sound all too bad! Hope the boys are safe.
great calendar!! I totally love having people focus on one thing and giving a positive feel to go with it!
Thanks, Amanda!
I just try to set realistic and measurable goals based on where I am. I can’t set crazy outrageous goals and push myself too hard to get there. We are still trying to figure out our plans but I’m hoping to go over to a friends house and just hang out.
Yes, it can be dangerous for those of us with driven personalities to push ourselves too hard! You sound like you have it nailed when you say goals based on where you are!