Don’t Set New Year’s Resolutions, Set Stepping Stones … I’ll Show You How
Have you ever made a New Year’s resolution on January 1st only to break it less than 2 weeks later?
We’ve all been there. And then what? Do you go back to it and start over, or do you just say, “Oh well, no resolution this year,” and continue on with your life?
I’m definitely the all-or-nothing type of person. Once I break my resolution, I’m done.
So much can change in a year, and maybe halfway through, a resolution is not relevant to your life anymore.
Maybe you vowed to move up in your company by August, but in May you were offered a better job with a different company. Do you stick with your old job with the hopes of moving up and ignore the better offer because of your New Year’s resolution?
Of course not.
I’m a list person.
Creating specific short-term and long-term goals helps me move forward year after year. I’m okay with them changing, not being completed right away, or being completely thrown out the window should my life change.
I wouldn’t be able to function without the checklist app in my phone.
Here’s how I suggest breaking down your lists of goals:
- Daily goals
- Long-term goals (to do within a couple months)
- “Umbrella goals”
“Umbrella goals” are more like life goals. They’re your answers to the question, “Where do you see yourself in 3, 5 and 10 years?”
In order to achieve umbrella goals, you have to set smaller ones – stepping stones.
For example, one of my umbrella goals I set last year was to get healthier and lose some weight. I had just come out of a very stressful situation with a former employee, and let’s just say I didn’t curb the sweets and comfort food for a long while. I had no desire to exercise and basically just lived day to day trying to keep up at work.
I’ve done those diets where you quit carbs, sweets, snacks, sodas and all alcohol cold turkey, and they don’t work for me.
The last time I did that, I actually got sick. I’m an “ease into it” kind of person, so I started by creating smaller goals and working up to bigger ones to improve my health.
First, I greatly reduced my snack intake. Goodbye chips, cookies and chocolate; hello dried chickpeas and nuts!
I won’t lie – this was tough to get used to. But after a few weeks, if I didn’t see the snacks, I wouldn’t crave them.
Smaller goal #1, check!
A few weeks later I decided I wasn’t going to cut out soda completely, but I’d reduce it little by little. Or at least, if I chose to drink it, I’d try to drink water before or after. It’s one of my only addictions, and like I said, we’re setting stepping stones.
I managed to get myself down to 4 oz a day, which definitely made a difference.
Smaller goal #2, more or less, check!
I also began an exercise routine and made myself get in the pool at least twice a week. I started off slow with a routine I knew I could accomplish, and added new exercises each week as I felt I could handle them. I was setting even smaller goals within each session in the pool, and before I knew it, I was getting in 4 times a week for double the amount of time.
Smaller goal #3, check, check, check!
But then in September, I was in a terrible accident involving my wheelchair and a curb, and everything stopped.
I had many broken bones and could only eat certain foods (mostly carbs) due to a broken jaw. I couldn’t roll over, let alone sit in my chair, so exercising was out.
After 2 months of healing, physical therapy and basically not moving much, I was back to square one and had to form my habits all over again.
When life changes, you need to change with it.
I’m back on track with my diet and working on the soda again. I need more help in the pool right now, but I’m getting in as many days a week as I can and making progress. I’m nowhere near where I was in August, but that’s OK.
I know with time and some hard work, I’ll get there again because I got there before.
I’m not giving myself a deadline. I’m going to work on my body a little bit every day, and when I reach my goal, I’ll reach it. It is what it is.
The best part is, I know that once I feel healthier, I’ll have more energy and work harder at my job and enjoy life much more. That’s what pushes me forward, 1 step at a time.
It might sound cliche, but I believe people should always be working to be the best version of themselves they can be.
And that can mean different things for you:
- Succeeding in your job
- Maintaining a physically healthy lifestyle
- Nurturing your mental health
- Helping others do the same
New Year’s resolutions were made to help us move forward in our lives, but sometimes I think they do the opposite.
Sometimes when we make a resolution that seems so unattainable, we just give up when we don’t succeed immediately. Our society has groomed us to want instant gratification, and when we don’t get it, often we just quit.
So here’s my challenge to you as you’re reading this:
- Pick an umbrella goal you want to achieve.
- Now fill the umbrella by making monthly, weekly and daily goals to go underneath.
- Focus on completing those smaller goals one month at a time. Then one week at a time. Then one day.
Before you know it, you’ll be well on your way to achieving what felt impossible.
➡️Feeling bold? Share your umbrella goal in the comments below so we can cheer you on! 🎉
If you’re ready to set new goals and commit to achieving them this year, I’d love to speak to your group! You’ll leave knowing how to find your something and create a deeper sense of purpose in your life than ever before.
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