It’s that time of year again when we are confronted with all of the ‘New Year, New Me’ visions and ideas.
In my recent post I wrote about why I believe that new year resolutions don’t work and I included the five step program to get super clear on who you want to become, how to do so and what you need to let go of to move forward and create the life you want.
I think that this time of year is always an exciting one. Our hearts and minds are filled with ideas of what we can do, who we can become, and plan how to get there. We are fired up, refreshed after the holidays and ready to go at it on full steam.
And then, somewhere around the third week in January most of us are feeling a little deflated. By early February we are disheartened and come St. Patrick’s Day all of those ‘New Year, New Me’ ideas seem like a distant memory from some past time, long, long ago.
So why does that happen and what can you do to maintain momentum?
In this article I share 6 easy tips to ensure that you:
- Continue to move forward when things get tough
- Create the best version of you and take your life to the next level.
The following 6 Top Tips are my personal go to guide. They have changed my personal, professional, financial and academic life. Since implementing I have authored a best selling book, aced through Trinity College Dublin, and created a second start up in Tourism.
Life now allows me to spend more time with my family, enjoying several European breaks throughout the year to our favorite destinations.
What dreams do you have? What would you like to accomplish in 2020 using my 6 Top Tips to Reach Your Goals?
Here are my 6 Top Tips to reach your Goals in 2020
Tip 1. Complete my Evolution in 5 Steps Program
Tip 2. Get Focused and stay focused.
Have you ever watched a pro golfer take a shot or a footballer take a free kick towards the goal? When doing so have you ever seen either gaze up at the sky or look in the other direction or anywhere else other than both the ball and its target destination? Of-course you haven’t. I love observing these guys and their focus. Theirs eyes go from the ball to the target and back again, quite like they are imagining an invisible line between where they are and where they want to go.
Getting focused on your goals is the very same thing. Look to where you want to be and keep your attention fixed between where you are and your target and keep doing that.
In the beginning this is easy. You are enthused with excitement and focus. Then after a while when life comes along so do the ‘yeah but’s…’
‘Yeah but I’m too tired…’
‘Yeah but I tried that before and it didn’t work…’ (see tip 5)
‘Yeah but I need to do this course or read that book, I need to know more…’
‘Yeah but I just don’t have the time…’ (see tip 3)
‘Yeah but maybe I’m too old/young…’
‘Yeah but maybe I’m just not meant to do it after all…’ (see tip 7)
Those yeah buts give you permission to distract from giving energy to your growth. They are your brain’s way of both keeping you safe and giving in to fear. Fear that you might be wasting your time. Fear that you are not good enough. Fear that you might fail, and it is your biggest and most powerful growth stunt.
When it comes to you and the realisation of your brilliance remember to get focused and stay focused on the prize and keep on heading in that direction. There is a reason you signed up for this and that reason still burns inside of you. It is your brilliance calling you to listen and discover it. Go realize it, enjoy the journey, and don’t stop until you are there.
Tip 3. Commit to and prioritize your goals
Think of the most important people in your life, your partner, spouse, child. As your life partner or child, they rank pretty important on your priority list, right? If they needed you, you would be right there. You make time to spend with them and you certainly would not dismiss their importance. Let’s say your spouse suggested a weekend away in a European city this coming weekend. Admittedly there is nothing you would like more right now, but realistically you’re most likely broke after Christmas and due to work commitments, time won’t allow it. Instead you suggest booking a table at your favourite restaurant on Saturday evening or, you might suggest a movie and takeaway. The point is that you don’t dismiss them completely just because you can’t commit to the big suggestion. Instead you look at other ways to spend time with them that won’t infringe on prior commitments.
Commitment to your goals is the very same thing.
Maybe you have work projects or college assignment that needs your attention. Maybe you promised to meet friends for coffee on Saturday morning or maybe the house is upside down and you can’t put it on the proverbial long finger any longer. All of which are taking up the time that you would love to spend moving forward and working towards your goals – and that’s life. Sometimes it just gets in the way.
But instead of giving up and telling yourself that you just don’t have or can’t find the time for the big commitments, think of other ways that you can commit to reaching your goals in less time and more often. It could be half an hour in the morning, making calls or sending emails on the train to work. It could be catching up on a podcast driving to Tesco’s. Or it could mean setting your alarm clock for thirty minutes earlier to work out or update your CV.
If you find self-talk is telling you that you just don’t have the time, think of small ways to create the time to prioritize and commit to your goals. After all, everyone gets 24 hours in a day, the people who create success are the ones who created the time to prioritize and commit to it and you can too.
Tip 4. Reflect on Experience
American psychologist and educational reformer John Dewey said that we don’t learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience.
Maybe you tried a certain tactic in the past to get up earlier in the morning or marketed your services on social media. Maybe you sent applications for your dream job, pitched an idea to a TV show or even started that book you have always wanted to write. But in each instance, it didn’t work out. It’s natural to feel disheartened and disappointed but that doesn’t mean you give up.
Every experience has something to teach us and when we combine showing up, taking action, and then reflecting on each experience, you learn. Reflection allows us the space to look at ways to do things differently next time. Reflecting on what worked, what needs improving and what you have learned in the process opens your mind to realms and ways that you would not have thought of previously, and gives immeasurable mileage in terms of navigating toward your goals.
The alternative is to shrug your shoulders and resign. Again, you are denying the fire inside waiting to be discovered and realised. Reflect, learn, and get creative.
Tip 5. Seek Support & Get Connected
There are over 7 billion people on this planet. With today’s online world and social media, Google and You Tube it has never been easier to access help and connect with like minds, teachers, mentors, and experts.
I recall when authoring my book, Saoirse, my knowledge of creative writing was very limited. Plus, I knew virtually nothing about self-publishing. But I wanted this book out there and therefore I needed to find out the best ways to do so. I took to online and joined a couple of support groups. I will never forget the invaluable help from strangers with like minds.
People are usually generous with information and happy to share their knowledge. Research the internet and get connected. The information is out there. The online world is flooded with articles, blogs, and video tutorials to help you get and stay informed. Take the time to fill your mind with knowledge of how best to reach your goals.
Seek out the help of working one to one with a good mentor or coach who is expert in your chosen field. Knowing that their support at hand gives both a platform of encouragement to move forward and an excellent accountability partner. Plus, a good coach or mentor knows what works and how to get you to the next level.
Talk to trusted family and friends. Share your dreams, wonderings, concerns, and challenges with them. They know you best, they love you and want the very best for you. Moving forward can be a lonely road, and scary too, especially if you are attempting a new project. You don’t have to go it alone and I would strongly advise against it.
Us humans are wired up for connection and we work best when we have it. Seek out support and get connected – you might even inspire someone else to realise their potential along the way. Shining your light and enabling your growth has a habit of being contagious.
Tip 6. Trust the Process.
In life there is only one certainty – none of us are here forever. But you are here right now. Every day you have a choice to get busy living.
Focus your attention on your dreams, give energy to realising your goals and discovering the fire inside. Alternatively, you can resign to the notion that you just don’t have the time, the support, or the energy.
Your time is now, this moment, each moment. The support is out there, and you have the energy inside you.
This new year get clear on your goals, figure out who you want to be and commit to heading in that direction. Maybe you will realise your goals, or maybe you won’t. But one thing is for sure, the universe has a plan and is kind to those who show up with drive in their hearts and keep on showing up again and again.
This time next year you might not be where you thought you would be in January 2020. But maybe, just maybe you will end up somewhere so much more awesome than your current mind thought possible.
Remember that things won’t always turn out the way we planned but things will always turn out, usually so much better that we could ever have planned by ourselves.
This is your life, start where you are, show up for it and give this world the very best you’ve got and keep moving forward and remember where there is will there is a way, and both come from the drive in your heart and the power of your limitless mind.
I hope my 6 Top Tips have inspired you and added value to how you will navigate your life to the next level.
If you would like further help why not hire me as your Coach? My goal with all of my clients is to get you to the next level, helping and supporting you to discover your brilliance inside and embody the best version of you possible. Reach out to discuss ways in which I can get you to the next level.
