Are you looking forward to New Year’s Eve? It’s the chance to meet up with old friends, indulge in food and drink and look ahead to the next twelve months with hope, good intentions and a desire for real change.

Carole Ann Rice writes exclusively for Female First

Carole Ann Rice writes exclusively for Female First

But how many of us, waking up to the cold, grey light of January, shivering under our duvets, feeling fat and toxic, really want to start our daily gym excursions or drop a dress size via cabbage soup?

Probably the worst time of year to commit to doing anything active, new and energy-based when instinct tells us we should be hibernating. Well that’s the meteorological reason why we crash and burn so quickly. So why else is it that New Year resolutions don’t work?

Often we set the bar too high and have unrealistic expectations of ourselves, our goals and the pace we wish to achieve them. Many goals rely on willpower – which is forced, about control and denial and is ultimately unsustainable. Who wants to “keep up” willpower indefinitely? You amongst us could? But it is entirely possible to keep one’s dream alive and reach those goals effectively and without pain or defeat nipping at your heels.

So here are a few highly effective coaching tools to help you get what you want in 2018 using “want to” power and leaving willpower in the shelf with last year’s disappointments.

10 tried and tested tips for 100% success

  1. Really, really want it. If it’s a new job, to drop a dress size, meet all your sales predictions or stop a bad habit, but sure you want it with a passion. Write out why it would be so wonderful for you to have that in your life.
  2. Set up a big ASS (Automatic Sprinkler System) – Create a strategy to remind yourself constantly of your goal and why you are doing it. A vision board of inspirational images or a purchase or treat you are working towards, set up a system, like a timed-garden watering system, that regularly inspires you and keeps you on track.
  3. Make SMART goals – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time framed.
  4. Be accountable – 10% of people interviewed about goal-setting said that “going it alone” prevented them from achieving success. Hire a coach or get a buddy to join you.
  5. Monitor your progress – Have monthly check-in’s with yourself to see how far you have come. This way you see real evidence of your progress.
  6. Celebrate your wins – set landmarks along the way to your goal to help keep you motivated so the journey becomes enjoyable and meaningful if there is a small treat to spur you on.
  7. Plot your path – It’s one thing having a goal but how will you know when you get there? Plot what you’ll need (equipment, training etc) to ensure you are clear about the process of the goal.
  8. Be kind to yourself – If reaching goals were easy we’d all be at the top of our professions and all size 10 without a single bad habit. It takes time, energy and determination and sometimes we lose steam and want to give up. Accept the downturns and it’s not the end of the world if you stray from your path. Don’t throw in the towel, just try again.
  9. Why might you fail? Is there a hidden cost to reaching your goal? For example – do you think people might not like you if you are thinner/richer/not smoking/drinking anymore? This sort of thinking could sabotage your plans and keep you stuck.
  10. Be in integrity with yourself – If you say you going to do something then do it. Talk is cheap so be your word. Unconsciously if you do what you say you will you set yourself up to being a person who commits and achieves. This will show up in other areas of your life. Keep your own promises.

Good luck, enjoy the journey and may 2018 deliver all the delights you wish for yourself.

Why not take the next step and book a free 30 minute telephone coaching session with Carole Ann? Visit www.realcoachingco.com for more details.

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