The First Week Has Passed – How are You Doing on those Goals?

Happy TFIG!  We have now come to the end of the first work-week.  My question for you is ‘How are you doing on the goals, intentions, or resolutions (yuck)?” This is a critical time as it is a proven fact that the majority of people stop working on theirs by the second week of January. That blows my mind when I think of the magnitude of that fact – a lot of people get excited to make-over themselves or their careers, often spending time thinking and planning, along with a lot of anticipation and hope, and then after trying for one week that’s all gone!

Why is this?  To me, it’s either because they haven’t planned appropriately, they took on too much at one time, or it’s not a truly burning desire.  Let’s look at each of these individually (in case you are having the same problem):

• No appropriate planning – when most people have a desire or aim, they set a goal and then rush right into getting it accomplished.  Without appropriate thought and planning you will be doomed to fail; in the Six Stages of Action Model (Prochaska, 1995), taking action is #4 – the most important step is the third, which is preparation; when you are totally prepared and planned for what you want to do, and have all the steps in place, taking action and sticking with it will seem easy which leads to the results you want
• Too much at once – if you’ve ever seen someone take too much food, and then not finish it, we often say that their ‘eyes are bigger than their stomach.’  This is what often happens with goals – you may see the big picture but imagine all the steps it will take to get there, which leads to feeling overwhelmed and in avoidance mode.  When you are fully prepared, as I mentioned above, and start s-l-o-w-l-y, it will allow you to transition into a new routine easily; using the principle of Kaizen, starting with the smallest (and least threatening) step will allow your fear-center to relax and you will begin to develop good habits without even realizing.
• No burning desire – I’m sure you have goals that you really want but are they the ‘no-holds barred’ type?  If the things you want to accomplish don’t excite you or get you to leap out of bed every day then you’ll lose interest in them quickly.   Likewise, if what you want to accomplish has a negative attached to it, such as losing weight or stop procrastinating, it actually gets you to focus on that negative and your actions follow.  The easiest way is to focus on the benefit you will get once you achieve your outcome, which is why you want it to begin with.  Make your goal as compelling as you can so you will feel more passionate and motivated to get it done.

Take time this week to review how you’re doing on your goals and compare them to the list I’ve mentioned.  It’s not too late to revamp, get more prepared and start the Kaizen way in order to make great things happen. I’m rooting for you!

If you want help to plan your goals and take massive action then contact me today http://www.cyscoaching.com