Time for a six month check in from those New Year’s Goals (or resolutions or intentions) that you set back in January, 2023.
We love the parties, countdowns, Chinese food, toasts, and resolutions. Whether you rang in the new year quietly or with a bang, as a culture, most of us have some areas of our lives that we promise ourselves to take on & improve during the upcoming year–it might be our health, our career, or a dream we have yet to realize.
We do a pretty great job of ringing in the New Year with family and friends, gathering together to reflect on another year past and share hopes and aspirations for the year to come. Everything seems hopeful at the dawn of a new beginning, especially our goals. But most of us don’t need to look at statistics to know that a New Year’s Resolution rarely gives way to lasting results. Let’s take a look anyway:
- Of those who make a New Year’s resolution, after 1 week 75% are still successful in keeping it.
- After two weeks, the number drops to 71%.
- After 1 month, the number drops again to 64%.
- And after 6 months, 46% of people who make a resolution are still successful in keeping it.
So, as Joey from Friends would say “How you doin’?” It is now early July, 2023….it’s been a solid six months since Jan 1, 2023. For real: How are you doing with the intentions you set for this year? Are you on track? Or are you in the 54% that might still be silently struggling to be consistent or gain traction?
If you find yourself in this pattern, perhaps a few weeks after January 1st or anytime that you embark on a journey to complete a goal, and if you find yourself wanting to “fix” or “change” areas of your life that have seen little progress for months or years, you might be feeling a little discouraged.
How can you break out of this pattern and get some momentum going in the right direction?
There are a few things I can offer from a coaching standpoint to help you move forward. Call them “hacks” if you will—these are the invisible, unseen obstacles that can be unknowingly thwarting your success toward your goals.
First, take a look at your language. Anytime your focus is on “fixing” or “changing” something about yourself, you will actually end up repelling the very thing it is that you say you want. The secret is to be grateful and celebrate where you are at this very moment. What accomplishments have you already achieved? Why is this area of your life better than most areas, not worse? (It could always be worse, right?). You are doing something right. What is it?
>> Coming at an area of your life that you’d like to transform from a place of gratitude & celebration provides more power than when you come at it from a place of judgment. You have the ability to either bless or curse the very thing it is that you want,simply by transforming your intention around it. <<
Next, true and lasting change comes from the inside, out. In order for a goal to come alive, it must be connected to something that you deeply value and truly believe is possible. Why is this goal so important to you? What is worth the sacrifice that you will be making to achieve this goal?
Last, in order to create momentum, connect your goal to a clear vision & action plan. See yourself a year from now, succeeding. If this goal is a reality in one year, what actions would you need to take right now? This allows you to land an anchor in your future that will pull you forward and encourage your goals to come alive!
With six more months to go till the end of this calendar year, you still have time to reach that goal you set in January! If you have not already considered it, a life coach can partner with you to help you gain the clarity, confidence and support you need that are necessary components toward reaching your goal.
