The statistics suggest that we'd be lucky if one third of us will achieve our New Year's goals! If you'd like to reach your goals this year, follow my top ten scientifically proven tools:
- Break your goals down to achievable milestones, such as losing 2kg per month, rather than 12kg in six months.
- Really believe you can achieve it by focussing on the smaller milestone and also reflecting on your past successes (rather than the failed attempts).
- Willpower is a finite resource each day, so rather than having to resist temptations, remove them so you don't deplete your willpower and give in.
- Make your goal an 'approach' goal - one you aspire to achieve, rather than an avoidance goal around what you don't want. For example, rather than I want to lose weight and no longer feel fat, you would focus on what you want to weigh and how great you expect to feel when you reach that weight.
- Reward yourself along the way when you reach each little milestone - this releases dopamine in the brain which helps you feel good and more likely to stick with your goal.
- Get very clear on the emotive reason you want to achieve your goal, not just the intellectual reason. It's the emotive reason that will help you stick at it. Ask yourself "why" do I want to achieve this goal, and keep asking yourself "why" until you've really unpacked the emotive reason.
- Keep visual reminders around you, such as realistic story boards (not ones with examples of ‘perfect people’, but realistic reminders of where you’re headed), put up post-it notes, phone reminders and keep visualising yourself achieving your goal.
- Use an anchor to something you already do each day to remind you by using ‘when/then’ statements. For example, “When I brush my teeth, then I’ll do 10 squats”.
- Get a cheer squad around you. Enrol your friends and family to support you, especially when you’re finding it tough, and also to help celebrate your milestones along the way.
- Most importantly write down your goal, ensure it follows the SMART principle (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and has a Timeframe) and include some positive emotions and your real reason why you want to achieve it. An example of goal written like this might be, “It’s the 1st January 2017 and I feel energised and amazing now that I’ve reached my goal weight of 60kgs. Now I can run around with the children and actively participate in their lives. Gosh I feel fantastic!” – it’s SMART, it contains some positive emotions and it includes the real reason why you want to lose weight.
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