The beginning of a new calendar year has many of us setting new goals or wanting to kick old habits – yes those good old “New Year Resolutions”! Now setting them is one thing. Beginning them isn’t too difficult either, but sticking with them, and actually achieving them is a whole different ball game! Achieving goals requires a specific set of mental skills that need learning, harnessing and continually practising. The list of mental skills I have come up with is by no means an exhaustive list, but it’s a pretty impressive list all the same. It made me realise why so many people fail to achieve NY resolutions and find themselves setting the same ones year after year! However harnessing some of the following skills would certainly help many succeed, and finally see through their New Year’s resolutions!
Achieving goals requires first and foremost self-belief. YOU have to believe you can do it and you have to believe you are worth it too, “ah ha, another one”, self-worth, or a positive self-image. You then need courage to begin, knowledge and vision to “ see how” and know how” to achieve, self-discipline and staying power to see your goal through to the end, patience, so as not to expect too much too soon, and generally a very strong and positive mental attitude! These “mental skills” do not come naturally to anyone, but they can be learnt, with 2 of the skills – practice and patience!
Once you’ve set your goal in your mind and written it down, the following tips may help you on your way:
1) Visualise your goal to the point that you can actually see yourself doing it or dream yourself doing it! Visualise and see yourself actually achieving your goal too – this is a really powerful step on the road to success.
2) Get started! It really doesn’t matter where or how you start – just start, even if it means fine-tuning things as you go!
3) Don’t let fear stop you – everyone, whether they are successful or not has fears. The difference is that successful people don’t let fear stand in their way!
4) DO NOT expect instant gratification. This is where patience and staying power come to the fore. When the going gets tough, go back to visualising what you want to achieve.
5) Master your time, so that you spend time on actions that bring you closer to your goals, not further away from them!
6) Work on building up your self-esteem first and then self-discipline will come. Without self-esteem there is no reason to care enough to want to do anything for you in the first place!
7) Beware of all the excuses you will find not to act on your chosen goal! You will rationalise and justify not doing anything too! Beware of this other person – it is the side of you that wants and expects instant gratification. Strong desires can easily alter coherent and sensible thinking! Be aware of this when it is happening and dig deep, allowing your self-discipline to shine through!
8) Think about the “after” scenario of an action. This can work both ways – i.e. when you are contemplating doing an action towards your goal and one that takes you further from your goal. If your goal is to lose a stone in weight and you’re “umming and arring” over whether or not to exercise, think how GREAT you will feel afterwards – focus on this and then “just do it”!!! On the other side of the coin, if you are deliberating whether or not to have that second helping, or a dessert or finish the chocolates left over from Xmas, STOP and think how you will feel afterwards – probably very fed up. So… think of your long-term goal, and then visualise it again and again.
9) Finally BE PATIENT, take one day at a time and remember….
“The road to success is always under construction”!!
- Lily Tomlin, actress
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