Goals: How to Set Them and How to Stick to Them
Part 1
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL! š„
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 oleā new yearās 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?! š³ According to Inc. anyway. Thatās bonkers! I thought it was at least a full month that people stuck to their resolutions. See how much I know. š¤Ø
So this monthās 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 couldnāt think of a better person to have as a guest here writing on this topic. Enjoy!
Itās a brand new year, WAHOO! šš¾
As you recover from all of your holiday festivities and slowly get back into the fabric of productive life, you might be wondering, āBut what does that even look like?ā
Iām sure youāre 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 youāre at right now, I just want to assure you that itās exactly where youāre supposed to beā¦
Whether thatās taking all the actionā¦ confused about what actions to takeā¦ or not lifting a finger yetā¦ itās all good!
But let's get real for a moment, shall we?
Yes, this is a new yearā¦
No, you are not a new person.
This isnāt 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.
Youāre the same personā¦ the same dope person!
And Iām here for it! Iām 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!
āUmm, Coach T, I actually donāt feel very inspired these days. But I wish I did. I want some new energy, but Iām not sure if I want to aim for any goals right now.ā
Oh, Iām here for you too, boo. Maybe itās 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 timeā¦ I gotchu.
Another real momentā¦
The thing about goalsā¦ while I do think they must be equal parts exciting and scary and come from an inspired place, you donāt have to be inspired or motivated to take every action toward them.
Ooh, let me say that againā¦
You do not have to be inspired or motivated (or even excited) to take every action toward your goals.
Thatās where I see the big issue lies when it comes to folks following through and accomplishing their goals. Youāre waiting for every moment to light you upā¦ every decision to be consciously motivated by somethingā¦ every action to not be hardā¦ to stay in your comfort zone. šÆ
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 doesnāt work that way. No, everything doesnāt have to be hard, but achieving goals does require conscious effort ā mental, emotional, and physical!
Which sounds exhausting, I get it. But it doesnāt have to be that way. And it wonāt be that way if youāre doing what you really want and what youāre 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 isnāt always present every second of every day.
Heck, there are many times when my motivation is just not there, and Iād rather stay in the comfort of my cozy bed š“ instead of going out to the track for my workout (especially now, in the winter and with our new oh so fabulous bed šš¾ š)!
This is where your habits and your why come into play.
And weāll discuss these concepts throughout the January blog series.
Earlier I mentioned, one step, one moment at a timeā¦ soooā¦
The first stop on this goal-digging train is: Get to Celebrating!
Itās 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 ā 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, āWhat 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?ā
Step 2 - List out everything that comes up in your reflection. Donāt 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! šš¾
Next week, weāll 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. š P.S: My bed?! An iComfort mattress by Serta. šš¾š“šÆ
January 15, 2024, 10:05pm