5 Transformational Disciplines to Launch in July that Will Make or Break 2019

Changing anything meaningful takes real effort. It takes a real vision into the future about something that has not happened yet and requires razor sharp discpline around a plan. Most of us identify with this at the end of a year and create an exercise that attempts to coordinate this into what we call a "New Year's Resolution". Every January hundreds of millions of people try to define their realty reflecting on the prior year and converting that context into a plan to change something transformational in their lives. It is an exercise few people actually see through to a desired outcome. Life as we call it gets in the way. We are half way through 2019 and July is the perfect month to reenergize your New Year's resolution again! How do we transform something to be a success?  It starts with setting milestones and creating a process to measure progress along the way. Here are 5 tips to transform your goals the back half of 2019 so you can finish strong.

 1. Start Where You Are

You don't need to wait for a change in the calendar to change your life. Start your own plan and start right where you are. Chances are what you wanted to achieve, and why you wanted to achieve it have all changed since last January anyway. Transformations are not fixed in nature. They are the result of allowing yourself the time to be flexible as you grow in the process. For that reason, New Year's resolutions should really be new month's resolutions broken down into new week's resolutions, and new day's resolutions. If you really want get in the strength zone take it down to the hour! A goal should be integrated into the daily plan of how you live your life. Without milestones and "check-in's" to measure how we are doing we are really just existing. As you measure your progress it's okay to drop something that you realize maybe is not that important to you anymore, while picking something else up that is. Starting where you are is really just about setting goals in terms of principles and values first. If you get that right (your purpose) the tangible goals will easily follow in supporting a plan that is most likely to get you to your happy. Regardless of the calendar date, today is always the right day to have this conversation with ourselves.

 2.  Put Pen to Paper

We are all familiar with the saying that a goal without a deadline is a dream. When we start something it is important to outline when we want to finish it, along with key milestones in between. It's really hard to hold yourself accountable to something that stays in your head. Putting pen to paper is a great way to outline your plan. I call it a "road map" to the things we want. Giving your goals context while articulating the "why" behind your need to achieve them will bring them to life. Carrying your plan around with you and reviewing it every day against your milestones creates an integrated life.  We can start by looking at our long-term goals in the context of what do I need to do today? Journaling your daily thoughts while you reflect on your road map's progress is a great way to stay in the day.

3. Get an Accountability Partner

Nobody does it alone. At least I need to be reminded of that. It feels really good when we take something that is important to us and have the courage to share it with others. I find that people generally want to help us if we are willing to invite them into the process of our own development. This requires the vulnerability to tell another person, "I cannot do this without you." Whether it's your spouse, a work colleague, or even a life coach the main point to understand is that we have greater accountability when we make a commitment to someone else and ask for their commitment in return. Setup up regular calls or meetings that align with your road map milestones and make sure the calls are scheduled and on a calendar the same way you would calendar your child's baseball game or dance recital. Make accountability part of your process.

 4. Celebrate

Winners celebrate. What I am referring to is celebrating progress, not perfection. BIG accomplishments are nothing more than the sum of a bunch of little accomplishments. When you look at your road map, what does success look like each day? Be good to yourself. Taking a step forward deserves its recognition. Often the recognition that one step backwards in setting up two steps forward is enough to smile about. Schedule time with yourself every day over coffee to understand where change and progress are happening in your life? Celebrate and convert those wins into motivation as you move closer to your long-term goal.

 5. Take a Vacation From the Future and Live In the Now

The human brain and the ego specifically are wired naturally to project into the future. Most of the anxiety we create in our minds is around things that have not happened yet. Many of those thoughts never actually happen at all. Depending on where you live, July tends to be a vacation month for many families. The climate is nice in most regions, kids are off from school, and the opportunity to take a vacation from the future and live in the now is also ripe for the picking! You are half way through the year. What a great time to reflect, to write, to pivot, and to get grounded in the NOW. Being present with yourself and your thoughts can be incredibly liberating and in my opinion is absolutely necessary to setting up a great second half to the year. How are your relationships and where can they be stronger? Are you spending enough time doing the things you love? Are you having fun? Are you happy? These are great questions to ask in July. Be in the moment, and capture a new found joy in the NOW.