Every New Year's there is a sense of excitement in the air, which is usually mixed with a good dose of anxiety and overwhelm.
What do I want to accomplish over the next 365 days??? It's a hard question to answer when most of us don't feel as steady in our decisions and long-term planning since the pandemic (which wasn't really that long ago).
The good news? You don't need to worry or plan or predict the next 365 days. Not at all. In fact, we here at Connected Through Strength believe in shorter term goals that are more achievable and flexible.
Instead of focusing on an entire year, we suggest focusing on ONE MONTH. Four weeks. That's it.
And you know what? That's still sometimes challenging; however, it's much more manageable and gives you the opportunity to reassess and move into the next month with a new goal, or even the same goal but more refined.
When setting New Year's Goals and Resolutions we at CTS suggest:
Getting clear: What do you want to accomplish/change/improve?
Creating a plan: What steps can you take in 1 month to make a positive impact and see progress?
Creating a timeline: Write down your goals so you can see them everyday. Set reminders. Put it in your calendar. If you don't actually schedule it, it won't happen.
Being honest: What obstacles/challenges do you foresee that could make following through difficult?
Asking for help: What resources/support do you need to move forward? Is there a chance we could help? I bet we can!
Tracking progress: Every week check in with where you are at and what you've accomplished and any challenges you faced. We suggest journaling!
Looking ahead: At the end of Week 3 set up a plan for the next month using the 6 steps above! Keep up the momentum and don't lose sight of your goals and dreams!
Let's break it down in a quick example: since we are a fitness studio let's say you want to start working out.
Your clear goal: To workout 3 days a week for the month of January
Plan: 1 day you'll do small group training at CTS, 1 day for outdoor running and 1 day for a class
Timeline: You'll set up your sessions and sign up for classes at the beginning of the month, and you'll schedule your runs in your calendar with reminders
Obstacles: It's winter, you might not want to go outside when you work from home and it's cozy in your house (we've heard this one before LOL) - so you put out your workout clothing the night before, set an alarm, and play your favorite song to get you in the mood!
Asking for help: You already did this by emailing us :) and asking a friend to be your accountability buddy!
Tracking: You start a workout journal and track your workouts every week and how you FEEL as a result of consistent exercise
At the end of January you decide to add a 4th day of exercise to your goal!
Hopefully you can see that setting goals doesn't have to feel like rocket science and you don't need to take on everything at once. In fact, we encourage you to prioritize the goals that will make the biggest impact in your life and go from there!
Just remember, this is YOUR life. Your time. Your energy. You deserve to feel good about the goals and resolutions you choose and how you go after them!