10 ways to stick to your goals

When we think of goals - they often get made at the beginning of the year in line with the dreaded ‘New Year's resolutions’.  The word resolution doesn't sit well with me and I truly believe that you can set goals (yes notice how I say goals not resolutions) at anytime of the year.  

Traditionally 'resolutions' are set almost as soon as we’ve polished off those turkey leftovers and filled our bellies with copious amounts of chocolate, alcohol and other Christmas delicacies.  It’s at this time that many feel the pressure to make some resolutions.  Some feel particularly guilty about their indulgence of the Christmas period, hence why gyms are packed during the month of January. 

However, there’s a societal tendency to follow tradition.  Traditions represent a critical part of our culture and although I wouldn’t go so far as to say making a New Year’s resolution underpins our identity, it certainly has been and continues to be practiced my many.

New Year’s Resolutions can be traced back to the Babylonian era where people made promises to their gods at the start of each year that they would return borrowed objects and pay their debts. In Roman times, they made promises to the God Janus and in the Medieval era knights took a ‘peacock vow’ at the end of the Christmas season to re-affirm their commitment to chivalry.

So, enough with the history lesson - you can see that making promises to better oneself in a ‘New Year’ has somewhat been ingrained in the human psyche (ok – maybe that’s going a bit far…but you get the drift).  As such, I’m sure you’ve had several conversations about the matter– a great ice breaker on the first day back to work I’m sure you’ll agree, as well as reading news articles and blogs (maybe like this one...only it's February). 

Now back to my earlier point  – the use of the word goal.   You may think that I’m being somewhat pedantic but as someone who works with words these are two very different things.  The word ‘resolution’ depicts a  ‘firm decision to do or not to do something’ however a  ‘goal’ is ‘the object of a person's ambition or effort; an aim or desired result.’  In my eyes goals are a hell of a lot more positive and therefore I would like to urge anyone who hasn’t set goals for this year to do so – and here’s 10 ways to help you stick to them:

1. Set your goals– physically write them down.  It’s really important to get them out of your head and on to paper.  This will make them more real and you can actually have fun creating a board if you like as a physical reminder. Everyone likes tearing up old magazines surely…or if you prefer digital tools, use an online platform like Pinterest to create a private (or public) board of things that represent what you want to achieve.
2. It’s all about the little things– whatever your goal break it down into smaller chunks so that you don’t get overwhelmed and disheartened with progress. As they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day.  Set yourself smaller tasks to help keep you on track to achieve your overall goal.  For example, if you want to become healthier and lose some extra poundage– do not dive straight in and do everything at once like cutting the caffeine, living off lettuce, going to five spin classes a week… 
3. Share them with people– building in accountability is really important as it’s easy to set goals for yourself and let them dwindle. It is often easier to maintain accountability by telling someone else what you want to achieve and setting a deadline to report back. 
4. Don’t do it alone– as with point three, sharing is caring and as such it’s worth considering trying to achieve your goals as part of a group activity.  This is often a great way to keep motivation levels high – so perhaps set up a salad club if you want to eat healthy or instigate a lunchtime running club if you want to build on your running skills.  Or… there is always an ‘app for that’ - no matter what your goal.
5. Make it part of your lifestyle – don’t see your goal as this ‘thing’ you have to do or an added annoyance to your life.  See it as part of your life.  Integrate it into your lifestyle so that it isn’t optional – the more you do it, the more habitual it will become and then the easier it will become.  You might even start to miss it if you stopped…
6. Keep a record– this doesn’t have to a detailed journal (although some people enjoy this and writing can be good for the soul). You can take pictures or log information however you see fit.  The point is, you can then look back and see your progress and how far you have come.
7. Rest – no matter what your goal, make sure you take time out from it now and again to help recharge your batteries.  As many ‘resolutions’ tend to be physical, ensuring you rest and recover from any training regimes/nutritional plans is really important. 
8. Be kind – to yourself.  If you fall off the bandwagon or aren’t where you feel you should be, don’t let yourself get stuck in a self-loathing spiral.  Perfection is a high and perhaps an unachievable goal so focus on the positives, look at whether anything needs to change to help you achieve your goals and don’t over think things.
9. Ask for help – don’t be afraid to ask for someone’s opinion or help.  As much as you don’t need approval from others, draw upon their experiences and expertise if you need it.  Most people are more than happy to help and may surprise you in terms of how supportive they can be.  After all we are all ‘fighting our own battles’. 
10. Review – your achievements as you go along.  If something isn’t working change it.  Don’t leave things until ‘tomorrow’ – nip things in the bud as they occur and you’ll be happier for it.