Have you ever heard anyone say, “I achieved my New Year’s Resolution!”? Unlikely.
It seems most of us lose our drive after the first couple of weeks. As parents we are exhausted by the end of the day - trying to prepare dinner, returning phone calls, answering questions from our kids about homework, etc.
So how does a hard working parent keep on track with the resolutions they have set just 4 weeks prior?
The answer is to pause for a moment and reassess your goals. We all want to be more effective and incorporate new, successful adventures into our hectic lives. Making and reviewing goals can refresh our souls, yield new perspective, align our focus, and even offer a clean slate.
This exercise of reviewing our goals is a great opportunity for parents to lead by example in five easy steps to reboot your resolutions.
1. Did You Dream Too Big?
A new beginning creates excitement and momentum, but sometimes with that comes unrealistic, pie in the sky goals. Did you dream too big when planning your resolution? No problem, it is not too late! Now is the time to revisit your goal, organize a new plan, and get started!
2. Did You Write It Down?
When we write down a goal or a plan it becomes solidified in our mind, more concrete. When you plan your resolution, you utilize the dreamy right hemisphere of your brain, while the simple act of writing it down draws in your logic based left hemisphere.
Norma Reid, owner of From Dreams to Reality Success Coaching says, “Statistics show people who write down their goals have over an 80% higher success rate of achieving them.”
3. Did You Get Specific?
The key to achieving our goals is specificity. When we strategize specific steps necessary to achieve the goals we make our goals tangible. Be specific and reasonable, instead of saying, “I want to exercise more.” Try saying, “I will walk first thing in the morning, for 15 minutes, twice a week.” This allows you to see the "when" and the "where" of your goals and clearly see if you accomplished what you set out to do.
4. Did You Plan Ahead?
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” Benjamin Franklin
If your resolution involved saving money by skipping out on a fancy morning cup of Joe, plan ahead. Fill your coffee maker the night before, set the timer, and you are setting yourself up for success in the morning!
5. Did You Set a Deadline and Reminders?
Set a deadline. If you leave your resolution open ended, you will tend to push the steps off until later. “I will stop eating chocolate tomorrow.” As you've probably heard said before, don’t put off until tomorrow what can be done today. Then remind yourself. Post it everywhere. A simple note can remind and encourage you of the goals you have set as well as motivate you to stay committed to them!
It’s never too late to reboot, re-focus, and reassess our goals. So go ahead, grab your pen, make a plan, and get back on track to making this New Year the best one yet!