“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery
We will hear the phrase “a new year a new you” more times than we can count in the coming days. New Years Day often brings about a rash of emotions from relief and excitement that perhaps a challenging year is behind us to hope and exuberance for a better year to come. However lost in all of the new year’s resolutions is the reality that no magic lies in the moment between 11:59pm and 12:00am. Goals and achievements made in the coming year will not occur merely because the calendar had changed.
Perhaps this explains why gyms are filled to capacity on the first days of the year and not nearly as full by the end of the month. Too often we get wrapped up in the emotion and the concept of the newness of the new year and avoid practical steps to ensure that something actually changes as we would like it to.
A few helpful tips to turn good intentions into reality:
1) Reflect.
Take sometime to review last year taking inventory of successes and failures. Explore reasons for each.
2) Revise.
Adjust your goals and plans into realistic targets based on where you are now. Plan to “checkin” on your progress monthly.
3) Remain.
Be the person still at the gym by the end of the month. Be persistent and committed to the plan you have put in place.
Through these steps you can become something more realistic than a new person( how many times can you create a new you anyway) you can become renewed with a keener focus and more confidence in the path that 2014 will take you.
Wishing you a blessed and successful New Year and Renewed You in 2014
jeremyhopewhite 