Every January, we all scramble to come up with New Year’s resolutions of all kinds and by February 1, they are mostly just a distant memory. This year, we challenge you to take a different approach.
Carve out about 15 minutes for this exercise and find a nice quiet place where you won’t be disturbed. Keep things simple and instead of overloading yourself with 10 resolutions that will only stress you out, pick the three most important things that you would like to accomplish by the end of the year and write them down under the word “achievements.”
Now close your eyes and envision yourself a year from now after having succeeded in accomplishing your three goals. Try to soak in everything about the scene you are envisioning. How do you feel? What do you look like? How have these accomplishments changed your life? Try to remember as much as you can and after a few minutes of this, open your eyes and write it all down in the present tense. Avoid generalizations and get very specific. For example, I am so healthy and radiant that my skin is glowing, the dark circles under my eyes have disappeared, my face is calm and I’m smiling ear to ear. You will also need to write down five steps that you will need to follow in order to accomplish these goals.
Next, write down the word “obstacles” and try to come up with at least two things that will get in the way of accomplishing each goal. So, if one of your goals is weighing 115 pounds, you might list obstacles like drinking every night, snacking on processed foods, hanging out with unhealthy friends, not exercising at least three times a week and so on. Now close your eyes and imagine yourself a year from now failing at completing your goals. Just as before, try to envision what you feel like and be very descriptive. After a few minutes of this, open your eyes and write down everything your remember. You should have a clear picture of how your life will look and feel after accomplishing or failing at your goals.
Lastly, you need to set check-in dates for the year. Some people can get away with quarterly check-ins but I suggest monthly to keep your focus. A great time to reset intentions is on the new moon of every month. But if that’s too confusing, just pick the first or last day of every month. You can do the entire exercise all over again or just take a quick review of your goals and assess where you are. It helps to keep this somewhere visible every day, like on the wall or your nightstand, so that it becomes a priority and a guide for your daily decisions. Keep it up and you’ll soon be on your way to achieving all the things you set out to accomplish. Ditch the resolutions and work on your plan of attack!
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