Welcome to 2024 everyone, I wonder if you have already begun to make positive changes inspired by this new beginning, or maybe you have already ditched the resolutions?
There is no doubt that most of us get sucked into the New Year resolution / goal setting which is great if it inspires us to fulfil or dreams or work towards positive change. However, finding ourselves struggling to make those changes or lacking in belief that our dreams can be fulfilled can become demoralising, so ensuring we go about it the right way will keep the dream alive.
If setting a resolution or a goal is your thing, then in this article my aim is to give you a framework to creating and following through on those resolutions, dreams, hopes, desires and goals, whatever time of year it is, alongside some tips for overcoming any obstacles.
Your Road Map for Success
Let this article be your compass on “The Road to Success,” filled with actionable insights and excitement to fuel your pursuit of achieving your goal.
Yes, being excited is a great place to start, follow that with an awareness that excitement will need to be supported by commitment: “Doing what you said you would do, even when you are no longer in the same state that you were in when you said you’d do it!” i.e. an alcohol fuelled decision made on New Years Eve to run a marathon may not look so appealing on New Years Day!
Below are 5 simple strategies or steps to success that will ensure that your goals not only drive your journey but also make the path itself a source of inspiration.
Goal Setting Strategies for Long-Term Success
Crafting a vision is the cornerstone of achieving long-term success, let’s explore strategies that transform your goal into a road map, so you not only know where you are going, why you want to go there, and most importantly what you need to do to get you there.
- A compelling vision: Picture your goal to help you define it with clarity. We naturally map out our future, whether is 5 minutes time or 5 years’ time by using our imaginations. Take some time to explore by tapping into your imagination and ask yourself: Why do I want to achieve this goal, what benefits will it bring, what does my goal look like, sound like, feel like, does it involve others, how will I know when I have achieved it, what else will I notice when I have achieved this goal and what will others notice about me etc? You might explore this on paper too by writing a vivid description.
- Break It Down: Now you have your heart felt goal, your compelling why, break it down into measurable milestones, turning your vision into achievable and celebratory steps. For Example, if your goal is to run 5k, what actionable steps do you need to put in place to ensure you reach that goal and at what points will you recognise your progress. Celebrating progress through mini milestones will help keep the dream alive as well as ensuring that it is not all about the destination, the journey is where you will learn and gain the most value.
- Reality Check: Aspire high but ensure your goals are realistic and attainable to maintain a sense of accomplishment. If you aim too high you risk disappointment, much better to start with something you know you can do and then let it grow from there. The aim after all is to increase good feelings not to develop negative ones!
- Relevance and Timeliness: Align your goals with your overall vision and establish timelines to infuse energy and focus. This energy will encourage you to keep working towards the goal, rewarding you as you go, making you accountable to yourself. A vague goal like I am going to losing a stone in weight this year is unlikely to ever happen, whereas I am going to change my eating habits and build a regular exercise programme into my daily schedule so I can weigh 1 stone less in 4 months, is much more likely to happen.
- Adaptability: Regularly review and adjust your goals, acknowledging the flexibility needed in the pursuit of long-term success. As Einstein said “If you keep doing what you have always done, you will get what you have always got!” There are many options open to you when it comes to achieving something that maybe you haven’t achieved before. It is not a one path option, so listen and learn, do more of what works and ditch what doesn’t. Having a proven strategy is great, but being flexible within that strategy is essential to not just success, but the pleasure of the journey.
- Accountability: Professionals have coaches, not only for their expertise but to make them accountable. The booming business of diet clubs came from the need for accountability, support and guidance, the same as why someone may join a running group or a Photography club. When others are involved it can help us on so many levels emotionally and physically, so find your tribe or support network… we can of course help you with this!
In conclusion:
Change is often not easy, mainly because there are reasons why we did what we did or are doing what we now want to stop doing, even if that reason is no longer relevant. These reasons in our minds came out of good intention, habit, out dated learnings, even fear, so changing them means re learning and rewiring our unconscious mind.
Be patient and methodical as this takes time and repetition until we reach a state of unconscious competence i.e. making the new behaviour our default setting, doing what we want to do without having to think about it. When we have positive emotional investment in something then we learn quicker, but keeping up that emotional investment when progress is slow can at times be hard going. Accepting that the journey won’t always be easy, life will get in the way, but that breaking through those barriers will add to the satisfaction of success.
Remember too, success is not just a destination; it’s a series of milestones that enrich your journey. Savouring that success along the way, turning each achievement into a celebration of your progress, big and small, acknowledging the effort and dedication you have invested will reinforce a positive cycle of achievement.
How can we help?
Whatever your goal at the Healthful Mind Clinic and Wellbeing Centre we have a team of professionals that can support you through the process of change. Whether it is to create the beliefs that you can achieve it, overcome the self doubt and barriers or provide the knowledge needed to achieve it, our coaches, hypnotherapists, nutritionist and other complementary therapists are at your service.
I myself am a master coach, hypnotherapy and counsellor with several other tricks up my sleeve! I am offering a 2 session kick start HypnoCoaching package that includes a 90 minute first session with a 60 minute follow up, plus a recording or 2 to support you out of the sessions. This kick start package would normally cost £200 but I am offering at just £150 until the end of February.
These sessions can be held at our West Moors clinic or online. Please contact me on https://www.healthfulmindclinic.co.uk/contact-us/book-a-consultation/ to discuss further or to book a session.