Welcome to the first week of February! I have an important question for you. How are you doing on the resolutions you made for the New Year? If you’re not one for “resolutions”, how about, how are things going for the goals you’ve set? If you’re anything like the average human, 88% of us give up on our resolutions or goals by the second Friday in January. Let’s read that again…the second Friday of JANUARY!! This is called “Quitter’s Day”. In pondering this crazy fact the past couple of weeks, I’ve come across something that can be helpful for us average humans. It’s called “Finding Your “Why”.
First Let’s Define the “What”
So what do you want to change this year? According to a recent survey, 80% of us, set our goals around health, exercise or diet. (Of course some may set the goals around travel, and if that’s you…you’re in the right place!)
Unpack the How
Like travel, a goal is a destination. Most of us would be unlikely to drive to the airport on a whim and board a place to anywhere, without a suitcase. Travel requires a plan. (Unless you’re on the run. Then I guess, “anywhere other than here”, is as good a plan as any!!) But for most of us, we will do things like take time off from work, check the weather, stop the mail, book a hotel, etc. We will end up with an itinerary:
I’ll be in Boston from July 17-20th. Our Flight is at 8am on Delta flight DL327. We’re staying at the Cambria in South Boston. It’ll be warm so I’ll be sure to bring a swim suit.
Normal Planning
But when we set goals or resolutions, we often end up with something that looks like this:
I want to read MORE in the New Year. I want to work out MORE in the New Year. I want to swear LESS in the New Year.
Many unsuccessful Plans
So in order to get to “more” or “less”, you will need some sort of roadmap – like:
I want to read 5 books in the New Year. I want to work out at least 5 days every week. (This one, is mine!) I will fine myself a quarter for every f-bomb I drop in front of other people. (By the way, you could parlay this one into a vacation fund!)
Specific plans
Fearing Failure?
Maybe you find yourself resisting the specific plan phase of goal setting. If that’s you, don’t be too hard on yourself. Moving from an ideal, “I want to get in shape”, to something concrete, “I want to go to the gym 5 days a week”, can feel scary. After all, what if you don’t live up to the specifics you set out?
Here’s the thing:
The person who cares the most about your goals or resolutions is…YOU.
You don’t have to tell ANYONE what your plans are…unless you want someone to check in on you.
If you don’t live up to the goal that week, you can always recommit and try again.
Find Your “Why”
But here is a GREAT way I’ve found to overcome the fear of failure AND to get your plan in place, discover WHY you want to do it. Setting a goal or making a resolution because it’s what you THINK you should do or because other people say you should, will likely result in failure.
Why? Well achieving a goal is hard work. It’s far easier to slide into old habits than to make new ones. And if you’re relying on some vague idea of what other people think you should do, you’ll be likely to give up when the change is difficult, inconvenient, or when you’re going through a hard time. I mean, 88% of us give up EVERY YEAR.
But if you have your own why, you can use that as fuel to keep on going.
I want to get in shape because…I’m going to my class reunion and I want my ex to eat his heart out.
Never underestimate the power of spite…I mean it’s called a “revenge bod” for a reason!
I want to get to the gym 5 times a week because it’s helps me feel better physically and mentally.
This is my why.
I want to say the “f-bomb” less at work because it’s unprofessional and I would like a promotion in the next few years.
And if I fail, at least I’ll have a great, big vacation fund!
Well, I guess that’s all for this week. Just a little side trip to a destination we haven’t visited together before. We hope these ideas make the journey just a little easier. Oh and if “subscribe to the Travel Oracle” was on your to do list…you can make that a reality RIGHT NOW. And it’s free!
