One question: Where did the year go?
January 1st seems to sneak up on us every year, and every year we madly try to figure out what our resolutions will be and what we’re going to accomplish in the coming year. Wouldn’t it be nice to just hit the ground running? You can! Start thinking now about what you want to accomplish next year. Is it losing a few pounds? Taking a course? Learning a new language? Reading a book a month for the whole year? Whatever you decide there are a few things you can do to get ahead of the game and get 2011 off to an organized and speedy start.
1. Make your list. In my opinion, this is the fun part. There are no limits, no constraints as to what goes on your initial list. Think you might like to minimize and simplify your home? Add it. Always thought it would be fun to start your own blog? Write it down. Whatever you think you want to accomplish in 2011, write it down.
2. Learn. With your list at hand, start learning all you can on each subject. This is such an important step yet so many people neglect to take the time to do it, if you omit this step you could be setting yourself up to fail. While “taking up photography” might sound like a great idea now, but when you find out you need to wake before the sun and head out at dusk just to get the best lighting, you might not be as excited. It’s best to know what you’re getting into and what’s involved before investing a lot of time or money in a resolution.
3. Be realistic. Ask yourself a few questions and be as honest and true about your answers as you can be. Do you really want to do this, or does someone else think this is a great idea? Can you really accomplish it this year? Think ahead a couple of months or fast forward towards the middle of summer and are you still able to make it happen? Being honest at this point of the process will save you a lot of heart ache down the line.
4. Get your resources. It’s inevitable, you will need things along the way to help you succeed. Are they people, materials, or a combination of both? Where will you get them from? Can you get them now so you’re ready to hit the ground running? Contact the people on your list and see if they are willing to be a mentor, find out how much time they can dedicate to you.
5. Work as a team. There are certain things I need help with in terms of staying focused, motivated and accountable. If you’re similar to me consider recruiting others to join you. Do you want to walk everyday? Try asking your neighbours, or fellow dog owners in your neighborhood if there is a time convenient for all of you to get out and walk together. Want to cook at home more instead of eating out? Try getting a friend in on the deal, one who is perhaps as kitchen inept as you are, and start a cooking challenge. Be honest with yourself, if you need help staying on track ask for it.
6. What are you willing to give up? When you say yes to one thing you are saying no to another. If you want to walk in the evenings are you ready to give up chilling in front of the TV or meeting your friend for coffee after work? If you want to lose weight are you willing to give up eating out or sitting with a bag of chips in front of the TV? There are some trade-offs that you need to make in order to be successful. Are you willing to make these sacrifices?
7. Don’t lie to yourself. This has been the common theme throughout this post. If you’ve been honest with yourself up to this point, well done! You likely now have a list of resolutions that are realistic and that you can succeed at. If you haven’t been so honest I urge you to go back through your list and this time be completely honest with yourself. It will do you no good to lie or sugar coat anything. Be honest, be real and you’ll be a lot more likely to succeed.Those are just some ideas on how you can start thinking now on how you will rock 2011!
Have you started thinking about your goals for the new year? Do you have any other tips on getting a head start on 2011?
