We may still be in the run up to Christmas, but have you already started to think about your New Years Resolutions for 2018?
…Or, have you started re-framing the resolutions you made this year that you swore blind you’d stick to, that soon went out the window?
If not, that’s ok.
And if you didn’t stick to the ones you set at the start of the year, that’s ok too.
Because I want to share with you something a little different today.
You see, for years I set goals and never really achieved them. It felt horrible.
I’d write them on scraps of paper, put them somewhere in the house, and forget about them.
It’s something I’d do each year – set goals, think I’d have them set in stone, and never achieve them.
I was basically drifting through life, dreaming about living another way, but doing nothing to make my dreams a reality. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how to!
And eventually I got so fed up with my goals not working out that I gave up on the entire ‘New Years Resolution’ goal setting process altogether.
Resolutions, goals and dreams – they were for dreamers (or so I let myself believe).
And what’s worse, because my goals never went to plan I was certain the problem was me, which led to me feeling EVEN MORE less motivated to stick to them.
But eventually I grew tired of feeling this way, I wanted to be doing something. I really wanted to figure out a way to make these goals of mine become a reality. So I started small, not with a goal or a resolution, but with simple habits.
Set Small Habits To Get Big Results
I started running every morning, because sometimes at the end of the day I’d lack the motivation to get out for an evening jog.
I started blocking out time in my day the month before, to work on the things that mattered to me most, AND to make sure I got to spend quality time with my family.
I started making healthier choices for dinner, choosing a banana over a bag of sweets, because I knew all that sugar wasn’t any good for me.
And soon enough, these small habits became a part of my daily life without thinking twice!
It felt good. And it still feels good! Which is why I’ve never stopped doing it and why I speak about the importance of Healthy Habits all the time – because those small habits have changed my life.
And you can apply the same principles too…
For example if your resolution is to be healthier…
Try to steer clear of making any drastic changes too soon, and instead begin by adding small habits into your day until you do them without thinking.
That includes tactics like putting out your running shoes the night before, laying out your gym clothes beside your bed, having a full glass of water beside your bed ready to drink each morning when you wake.
If your resolution is to eat more fruits and vegetables…
You could slice up fruit and place it at the front of the fridge, prepare enough fruits and veggies for the next few days and put them in Tupperware boxes so you’ve already done the work, ready to whip up a quick bite, swap out sweets for a banana or handful of grapes, add a slice of lemon to your water…
You get the gist 😉
The Power Of Daily Habits
Once I learned the power of daily habits, I could begin setting goals again.
And you know what? It’s been years since I’ve set myself a goal that I haven’t achieved.
It’s possible to achieve things in life you’ve always wanted by setting big goals to get there – the trick is understanding that they don’t magically happen over night, or within a couple of weeks.
Goals require daily practice with small daily habits along the way to get there.
So, what habits are you going to set yourself for 2018?
For more tips like this to help you have your best year yet, visit here to read Paul’s book The Healthy Habit: http://www.thehealthyhabitbook.com/ Essential reading to help people aged 50+ maintain an independent and active life.
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You might know Paul as an expert Columnist who writes weekly health articles for TWO of the North East's biggest daily Newspapers, The Northern Echo And The Hartlepool Mail, he is a regular Speaker at Industry Seminars around the globe and a Radio Personality, often heard on the BBC. Paul has been an expert guest on dozens of Radio shows and regularly interviewed in newspapers, magazines and trade journals all over the world, including the Guardian.
Paul’s background included working extensively in the Premier League with a Top Professional Football Team, and since quitting his job in Professional Football in 2007, his Physio Practice has become the fastest growing in the UK and biggest in the North East. So successful, that companies like BUPA, ASDA, The Vela Group And Coast & Country, repeatedly retain his Physio company's services to keep healthy their own staff and workforce. Paul Gough Physio Rooms is now a large multi-physio, multi clinic speciality practice in Darlington, Durham, Guisborough and Hartlepool.
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