This is an awesome time of year! Why? I find it refreshing no matter how great or not the past year might have been as it always presents the opportunity to “Refresh, Recalibrate and Recharge!”
Whether you choose New Year’s Resolutions or not, assessing where you are and setting new goals is always a fresh start! I looked up some statistics and found some studies which say that 80% of New Year’s Resolutions fail. Some ask me “so what’s the difference between goals and resolutions?” Well, really there might be absolutely no difference depending on how you phrase them, but there is always a difference in how you mentally approach them.
My year-end involves reviewing 1) what worked or is working, 2) what is not, and 3) for those things not working, what will I be doing differently. I do this for both my personal life and my business. The next step is to make a commitment on how I allocate my most important asset: no not money, rather time! Your time is your only limited asset so protect and cherish it: what are you are going to be giving your attention, energy, time, and financial investment to? Where will I put my focus, and then for what specific desired outcomes? Finally, who are my accountability partners? Critical for success.
From there I develop plans which include step by step for each of the desired outcomes. As the year then plays out, I continually assess the plans and the specific action steps to ensure my time (which is truly my most valuable asset) is being well spent.
If you pursue the research on New Year’s Resolutions and why so many fail for people here is what I found were three top reasons:
- It is called Mindset…yes, it is your own consciousness that stops you dead in the tracks.”As a man thinketh, so is he.” “If you think you can or think you can’t, you will always be right.” Einstein also contributed with the fact “we cannot solve a problem on the level of consciousness that created it.”
Some people just might say “I am no longer taking the abuse” or “I am no longer going to fail.” Whatever the facts, one thing is clear: pouting about it and just stating things will change affects nothing but adds more frustration. The dysfunction that you grew up with, what caused you the results you have already been living with, is still part of your make-up. The result: we continue to recreate the same challenges no matter the change of environment until we uncover the limiting beliefs, and discover a more empowering way to reframe them to rid the dysfunction.
This is exactly why I have been teaching “Kryptonite Breakthrough” for over 3 years, a simple 8 week Course to support people to discover their limiting beliefs and replace them with empowering ones (watch out world!). https://merrijohillaker.com/breakthrough
- It is called the “Accountability System”…and it applies to each and every one of us. When we work with people we respect and they hold us accountable, then we truly have a system of reporting in, check backs, and making needed tweaks as well as big changes. Sustained action upon hitting up against challenges and setbacks is not necessarily going to happen on our own as discouragement robs us of the energy we once had, but it also fails to provide us with “a new set of eyes” to perhaps see the problem differently and thus, arrive at more effective solutions.
If we keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect different results that are referred to as insanity. No matter what you want more of in life, whether it is physical fitness, wealth, health, or just greater success, the reality check is that you will need to become someone different from who you are today. And that accountability partner should be a person you respect and honor
- It is called FEAR! Yes, so many people have a “big hairy goal” and speak as if it is their dream come true, but “some funny things happen on the way to the forum.” In other words, as we start working towards our goal, when things get tough our language starts looking like “Well, no big deal…if I actually achieve it, people will expect so many things out of me”…or “I will have to start speaking on stage and make others look small,” etc. Let me share with you an outstanding book that truly focuses on this problem, “The Big Leap” by Gay Hendriks. She breaks it down to 4 possible hidden barriers that truly stand in our way unless we recognize them, and “reprogram” ourselves. See which ones might fit for you as truly this concept is counterintuitive…we think everyone wants incredible success in life but without some mindset work, it is clearly not true:
a)We feel we are inherently flawed in some way so undeserving of success.
b)Being disloyal to all those friends and family who we will leave behind almost as if success will cause us to abandon those we have truly loved or have cared for or who have been loyal to us.
c)With all that success will come a ton of expectations, and burdens we may not care to have to deal with
d)Some of us grew up in a family setting where we were exposed to the “fact” that if we shine too greatly and draw all that attention to ourselves, we will make others look/feel badly.
It sounds hard to believe but not only does Hendricks in the book discuss this, but it has been proven in other studies. Many feel they are “capped” at what they are capable of achieving in life and thus, are not driven to reach for higher and higher results. Internal thinking is what truly stands in their way for what is possible. Time to shift? I would say past time!