It is that time of the year where most of us are quite hyped up about the possibilities that a new year presents. Unfortunately, what happens is that most of us create resolutions that we inevitably give up on quite soon after creating them. Our resolutions are often related to habits that we are trying to break, or new habits we would like to establish. It is not surprising that this is the busiest time of the year for personal trainers, coaches and professionals that can assist us in achieving any type of goal we might have set for ourselves.
I am no different and have often set myself up for failure by only framing what I want for the year in terms of goals. Of course, goals are something I understand very well. However, like everybody else, after the first 2 weeks of being quite gung ho about my goals, I would abandon my goals and contribute to a negative narrative of self that is filled with recrimination and guilt.
Over the years, I have learnt some tricks to assist me in diverting from this particular self-defeating process.
1: Set a theme for your year ahead
Instead of focusing on specific goals like ‘losing weight’, I have found it works best if I set a theme for my year and ensure that whatever I decide to do, it has to fit in with that theme. For 2022, my theme is connection and this is my guiding light for how I proceed and what it is I pursue, which will be related to deepening connection through work or in my personal life.
2: Identify specific areas where you can apply the theme
Once you have a theme, you can identify areas that you want to tackle that would give life to this theme. For example, in terms of connection and work, I am more intentionally seeking out projects that I can work on with people that I want to collaborate with or people I already have a connection with. So, once I have established that, I can also look at how I can deepen connection in the ways I work. The same applies for my personal life, I will look at how to give more energy and time to my relationships such that it deepens the connections in my life.
3: Create community for accountability and celebration
Another important strategy I have learnt about the way I go about my year is to share what my intention is with people I am close to. This allows space for them to either join in or to remind me of my theme and commitment in those moments when I may forget it. Furthermore, community is also critical as it reminds us to celebrate our achievements in relation to the way we go about living our year.
My wish for you is that 2022 is a year filled with many adventures and much needed growth.