The new year is just days away and many of us are excited to shake off some of the gluttonous habits we've developed over the holidays and start living healthier lives again, but I just want to caution people about going too hard out of the gates on January 1st.I have always been a big fan of setting goals but I fear some people don't do the goal setting process justice when they set a weak resolution for something they would like. If it is only a mere resolution or a wish then you are bound to fail.
In order to make the goal setting process a positive experience with power behind it, I suggest you review the components of SMART goals which I have addressed previously.
One of the big problems people have is that they are gung-ho for the first couple weeks but just can't maintain the pace and keep things up indefinitely. As a result, they give up on their goals after a short time. This is why the gym is packed in January but then back to normal numbers in April. I am a bigger fan of taking baby steps and making weekly or monthly improvements and building on prior successes.
In the past I have made the mistake of going too hard out of the gates at the beginning of each year. This year I am going to ease up slightly in January and make weekly improvements that I know I can maintain and then slowly build on those until I am at peak performance in July.
If you'd like some motivation, I really enjoyed the messages in this clip. The principles don't just apply to sports or getting into shape, but carry over into other challenges and aspects of life.
I wish you the best with your 2014 goals and remember if your goals are really important to you, then it is worth taking the necessary time to plan them properly as well as remembering the daily motivation to keep you going until you hit your goals.
If you'd like some accountability for your goals, feel free to write a few of your most important ones for 2014 in the comments section. Committing publicly to do something is one way to help you follow through.
