Success Bully – Avoid New Year ‘Same Old You.’

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Out of curiosity, are you planning to recycle last year’s incomplete New Year’s resolutions for 2019? Or maybe you plan to repurpose 2015, 2016 and 2017’s goals?  Every year we make the same promises to ourselves. We may even publicly declare amongst family and friends that this *insert number* is going to be our year!  According to U.S. News, 80% of those who set New Year’s resolutions have fallen off the bandwagon by the second week of February. Whether it’s to lose weight, save more money or chart a new career path, most people start strong and fizzle out far too soon.

In my accountability practice, Success Bully, I consistently see the same common challenges in keeping New Year’s resolutions across the board. Attempting to reinvent your entire self in 365 days, identifying goals (but the not the process to achieve them), and- my personal favorite- jumping ship too soon are the biggest deterrents to getting it done.

This year let’s try something different.  I ask you to consider the 3Fs for a bigger, better 2019:

Find your impact:

Even with superhuman strength and discipline, it is highly unlikely that we will revamp every area of our lives in a single calendar year.  Why set yourself up to be overwhelmed, disappointed, and ultimately lose before you start?  Write out all the goals/ things you want to accomplish in 2019.  Then, pick the one area that will create the biggest impact in your life. Focus on that impact! If you double-down on that one goal, it will inevitably create a positive ripple effect in the rest of your life.

Fall in love with the process:

For every goal, there are many steps to achieve it and it takes discipline to get there. So, you might as well fall in love with the process!

In addition to the big goal, set process driven micro-goals that will eventually yield your desired results. Have small celebrations when you hit your weekly activity goals. Plan the big champagne moments, when you hit your big goal.  For example, pre-plan to hit the gym every morning before work by laying out your gym clothes the night before.  This small activity makes it easier to get the bigger goal done. (Example- I am more likely to skip a workout if I can’t find my favorite leggings in the morning.)

Focus on 90-Day Increments:

There is a common myth that it takes 21 days to form a habit. In actuality, it takes 33 to 66 days to develop a new habit. Here’s the best part…It takes about 90 days to see results of that new behavior.  As with the New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, save more money or work out more, we need to shift our thinking and actions to allow ourselves enough time to make the new changes a rhythmic part of our lives. This rhythm will lead to results. 90 days is such a sweet spot for planning.   It is long enough to develop a new habit, but short enough to not feel like an eternity. Don’t give up too soon!

In 2019, let’s keep it simple and use the 3Fs to stick to our New Year’s Resolutions.

If you need additional support and resources on goal setting and accountability, check me out on successbully.com and follow me on all the socials @successbully.

About Success Bully:

We are professional butt kickers. Success Bully is an elite accountability practice dedicated to supporting visionaries in their goal attainment.  We offer strategic goal setting and accountability programming for 1:1 clients, small groups, and corporate partners.

Pictures courtesy of Shlepp Entertainment

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