Alas, the week of making New Year’s Resolutions. The promises you always make and always break.
People get so focused on making HUGE change that they forget it starts with the minutiae; what you do on December 31st heavily influences what happens on January 1st, making a night of heavy drinking a funny way to start your health goals the next morning, doesn’t it? It is what we do repeatedly everyday that builds our habits throughout the year, not one planning session the week before NYE.
Of course, we can’t be pessimistic on the outlook of setting New Year’s Resolutions. Goal setting is in our company’s DNA. Growth is a cornerstone of Live Better, but we must understand how to set ourselves up for success.
Reflecting On 2021
The first step we recommend taking is to conduct a year end review, similar to how that might work at your business. How can you possibly look towards 2022 without looking first at 2021; what went well, what needs improvement, where you spent your time, who you spent it with, and what you spent it doing?
Personally, I like splitting this up into categories: Professional, Relationship(s), Passion Projects, Health & Wellness, Self Development, & Impact. Then, I break those down into smaller projects (e.g., Professional > Personal Training Clients, Live Better Retreats, etc.) and review those on a granular level. Next, I take a look back through my Google Calendar and see what my weeks looked like, where I traveled, who I met with, etc. Finally, I then take a look through all my workouts, all my notes I kept on my phone, scroll through my photo library, etc.
I’m looking for a holistic picture of my year. I then start to break out some of my ‘highlight’ moments; you’ll start to see patterns emerge from specific projects, trips, relationships, or growth achievements — these are worth noting to either repeat for next year or improve upon depending on your bigger goals.
4 Rules for Goal Setting
Once you’ve reviewed 2021, it’s time to look towards 2022. Besides checking out our Goal Setting course, there are a few things you can try to set better goals for next year:
- Create ‘deadlines’ — this would be the “T” (timely) in SMART goals. We say this all the time for our athletes or performance coaching clients trying to start something; “make it real.” If you want to get in shape, sign up for a race. Commit to a date to complete your task. If you don’t, you’ll procrastinate and this item will end up on your 2023 list.
- Seek accountability — whatever you want to accomplish, don’t try to do it alone. Hire a coach, join a group, grab a friend, read a book, post it on social media…anything to get out of your own way.
- Practice patience — when I’m coaching a client, especially on nutrition, I like to say “Triple your timeline.” We often inflate our willingness to make change; we expect to lose all the weight in one week, which is why gyms are empty come the third week in January (again). Life gets in the way and it’s complicated; play the long game.
- Mindset, first — anything you are trying to accomplish starts in your mind. All the physical goals you want to accomplish will fail if you don’t get your mindset right. You can be your biggest advocate or your own worst enemy; people who succeed regularly, in multiple areas of life, have their mindset dialed in. Take a hard, honest look inside and write down what needs to change or whom you need to ask for help.
Your 2022 Goals
Our hope for you is that 2022 brings about the “best day ever, every single day,” on repeat. That is the goal, of course. But hope is not a strategy; we must have a plan in place (read: NYR’s), the right people around us, and an environment that makes ‘success’, however you choose to define that, non-negotiable.
If we can ever be of service, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team. We hope you have a wonderful holiday season and cheers to crushing your goals in 2022!
