5 Powerful Tips to Guarantee You Reach Your New Year Goals

19 Jan 2016

At the start of every new year, the majority of us decide we’re going to: lose weight, start a business, write a book, quit a bad habit, improve our relationships, etc. The resolutions are endless. And we have the best of intentions. So why, then, is it that only 8% of us actually achieve our New Year’s resolutions every year? In fact, by January 15th, it’s pretty clear who’s going to be in the 8%. That’s the date where people begin to drop off. Are you in the 8%?

If you’re looking for a tool to help you achieve your New Year resolutions, then the 2016 Whose Shoes Transformational Calendar is the perfect planner for you. The calendar, based on the highly-acclaimed book, “Whose Shoes Are You Wearing? 12 Steps to Uncovering the Woman You Really Want to Be”, features 12 inspiring stories of women and words of wisdom for overcoming major obstacles to live out their purpose.

One of those stories is about none other than Ronnie Harris-Tyler, co-founder of Black and Married With Kids (BMWK). In her feature in the calendar, she’s very candid about what it took for her and her husband, Lamar, to build BMWK into a hugely successful blog and brand with the goal of broadcasting a positive image of marriage and family to the world.

Here are 5 tips to ensure that, like Ronnie, you are part of the 8% of people who reach your goals this year:

1. Be clear about your “why.” So many of us jump into setting and trying to achieve goals without a real emotional connection to what it is we want to achieve. If your “why” for wanting to do something isn’t strong enough, your motivation to do it won’t last. Think about what your “why” is and then write it down. Review it daily and use it as fuel whenever your commitment starts waning.

2. Begin with the end in mind. It’s always easier to reach a goal when you have a vision for your future. The very first pages of the 2016 Whose Shoes Transformational Calendar/Planner invite you to do just that: write down what you want to have your year look like by the time you reach December 31, 2016. Once you know what you’re working towards, it makes it much easier to plan for it in the present. Don’t underestimate the power of “writing the vision and making it plain.”

3. Don’t try to eat the whole elephant at once. Have mini-milestones. The Whose Shoes calendar/planner features monthly goal-setting, and provides a space every month for you to list your top three goals and the actions steps which will help you reach them. Those action steps are critical to setting your goals in motion. Taking clear action steps every month will help you move the needle consistently in the right direction. As they say, “a goal without a plan is a hallucination.”

4. Celebrate your successes. They will help keep you motivated to stay on course. In our hyper-connected world which moves at the speed of light, we’re usually so busy chasing success, that we never slow down to pat ourselves on the back for a job well done. In the Whose Shoes Calendar, you are encouraged to celebrate your successes every month to help you maintain perspective on your progress. That progress will keep you moving in the right direction. At the end of the day, even slow progress is better than no progress.

5. Write and recite daily affirmations and/or inspiring quotes. Throughout the planner, there are inspirational quotes to help you get and stay motivated. Motivation is the key to making sure you stay committed to the promise you made yourself that this year would be different. So many of us wonder why we have a difficult time staying motivated. The reality is that we haven’t developed a motivational strategy. Motivation is a minute-by-minute, day-by-day thing. Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar always said, “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing, that’s why we recommend it daily.” Use daily affirmations and quotes every day to help you stay focused on your goal.

As you embark on a new year of goal-setting, achievement and life changes, keep these tips in mind so that when December 31, 2016 arrives, you won’t find yourself in the same place you are today. Make 2016 your year!

You can order your very own 2016 Whose Shoes Transformational Calendar from here while supplies last.

(This article also appeared www.blackandmarriedwithkids.com)

What is the best goal setting tip you’ve ever used to help you achieve your New Year resolution(s)?

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