Goals: How to Set Them and How to Stick to Them
Part 1
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL! 🥂
How wonderful it is to be back here for another year of providing valuable resources, information, and inspiration to help you make more, worry less, and achieve true financial freedom so you can live a life you love.
With a new year, typically comes those good ole’ new year’s resolutions. Do you set resolutions? Or maybe you declare a word for the year?
Did you know that most people lose their resolutions by the second Friday in January?! 😳 According to Inc. anyway. That’s bonkers! I thought it was at least a full month that people stuck to their resolutions. See how much I know. 🤨
So this month’s blog posts will be a 4-part series on Goals: How to Set Them and How to Stick to Them, written by our guest blogger, athlete, artist, and high performance coach Tilita Lutterloh, aka Coach T, The #GoalDigger of the high performance world. She also happens to be a dear friend of mine, and couldn’t think of a better person to have as a guest here writing on this topic. Enjoy!
It’s a brand new year, WAHOO! 💃🏾
As you recover from all of your holiday festivities and slowly get back into the fabric of productive life, you might be wondering, “But what does that even look like?”
I’m sure you’re getting lots of emails, reading loads of blog posts, and seeing tons of social media content about New Year, New You, right? And it can be overwhelming for those who have set goals for the year, and even more so for those who just want to find their word for the year without so much pressure!
Wherever you’re at right now, I just want to assure you that it’s exactly where you’re supposed to be…
Whether that’s taking all the action… confused about what actions to take… or not lifting a finger yet… it’s all good!
But let's get real for a moment, shall we?
Yes, this is a new year…
No, you are not a new person.
This isn’t some reverse Cinderella situation! Just because the clock struck midnight on January 1 does not mean that all of your problems from 2023 magically disappear and you get taken off in a pumpkin carriage to your dream life of 2024.
You’re the same person… the same dope person!
And I’m here for it! I’m here to help you clear the noise and get zoned in by providing a compass of sorts to guide you in the right direction towards those goals and towards a meaningful and connected 2024!
“Umm, Coach T, I actually don’t feel very inspired these days. But I wish I did. I want some new energy, but I’m not sure if I want to aim for any goals right now.”
Oh, I’m here for you too, boo. Maybe it’s better for you to simply focus on how you want to feel this year. And ignite that energy with small intentional actions each day.
One step, one moment at time… I gotchu.
Another real moment…
The thing about goals… while I do think they must be equal parts exciting and scary and come from an inspired place, you don’t have to be inspired or motivated to take every action toward them.
Ooh, let me say that again…
You do not have to be inspired or motivated (or even excited) to take every action toward your goals.
That’s where I see the big issue lies when it comes to folks following through and accomplishing their goals. You’re waiting for every moment to light you up… every decision to be consciously motivated by something… every action to not be hard… to stay in your comfort zone. 😯
You want inspiration to hit you at every turn in order for it to not feel like such a big to-do.
Am I close?
Well, that would be nice, but it just doesn’t work that way. No, everything doesn’t have to be hard, but achieving goals does require conscious effort – mental, emotional, and physical!
Which sounds exhausting, I get it. But it doesn’t have to be that way. And it won’t be that way if you’re doing what you really want and what you’re doing aligns with your true self.
We get inspired to set a goal.
We are perhaps motivated by the discomfort that the goal might eliminate.
But the motivation isn’t always present every second of every day.
Heck, there are many times when my motivation is just not there, and I’d rather stay in the comfort of my cozy bed 😴 instead of going out to the track for my workout (especially now, in the winter and with our new oh so fabulous bed 🛌🏾 😌)!
This is where your habits and your why come into play.
And we’ll discuss these concepts throughout the January blog series.
Earlier I mentioned, one step, one moment at a time… sooo…
The first stop on this goal-digging train is: Get to Celebrating!
It’s important to acknowledge and celebrate your wins from 2023. Why?
Three key reasons:
It helps you keep your eye on the prize. In other words, it helps maintain your focus on what you want.
It helps build motivation & momentum to keep moving forward toward your goals. You know the second half of Newton's First Law of Motion – an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction (unless acted upon by an unbalanced force)!
It just plain feels good! That dopamine rush you get will only reinforce your desire for the goal and your action-taking behavior toward the goal!
So do that this week! With the following steps as your guide:
Step 1 - Take some time to reflect on the past year. And ask yourself, “What wins did I have? Big, small or otherwise, what did I do, accomplish, experience, etc. that I feel good about? What were some highlight moments for me in 2023?”
Step 2 - List out everything that comes up in your reflection. Don’t overthink it, just write!
Step 3 - Read over your list, and be present with how each item on your list impacts how your body feels.
Step 4 - Give yourself a big hug, a round of applause, a private dance party! Whatever small or big celebratory acknowledgment that puts a smile on your face, do it!
Step 5 - Share at least one highlight moment with a friend, confidant, loved one. It feels even better when you have people who are more than happy to celebrate YOU and with you!
Excellent! 👊🏾
Next week, we’ll Get Clear on what really matters to you.
Happy 2024!
Peace & Goal-Digging,
Coach T
I invite you to follow along with the rest of the blog series this month with next steps as we get into all things Goals: How to Set Them & How to Stick to Them, and hopefully something will resonate with you and spark the energy you need to make it happen for yourself this year.
With lots of GRATITUDE & IN CELEBRATION,
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Previous Comments
carrie I love this! I'm going to instigate a monthly celebrate your wins get together with some favorite people! AND - what new bed did you get? I'm in the market... :)
January 9, 2024, 04:21pm
Tilita @carrie Carrie! I'm sooo in love with this idea of yours! And I'm glad this article resonated with you. 😌 P.S: My bed?! An iComfort mattress by Serta. 👌🏾😴💯
January 15, 2024, 10:05pm