How To Smash Your Goals in 2023

Firstly, can we begin by banning the term New Years Resolution? 

Nearly 70% of people make New Years resolutions every year and guess how many actually end up achieving them? About 1%........ Why is it that so many people can begin the year with good intentions but fail to stick to their goals and for the most part, never actually reach them? Have you found yourself setting a goal on the first day of the year only to see it slip our of your reach in a few weeks, months or even days? Don't worry, you're not alone and below are some of the ways that I have found have helped me successfully set and reach goals:

Be Specific

The reason I dislike the term New Years resolution is because it seems flimsy, wishful and without clear direction. It also gives the allure of being time specific, while goals should be present in your everyday life. From big goals, to smaller ones, setting goals is a really great way to stay on track to achieve the things you have been longing for.

What most people fail to do and what I think is a game changer, is be specific down, to the last detail about your goals. What does this mean?

One of the most common goals around this tine of year - and in fact - at any time, is the desire to lose weight. A lot of people set themselves the goal to loose a few kilos, which is a good health goal to have but without specifics, you might find yourself going from point A to B to C without much clarity. You see it's easy to say you want to lose weight, but how do you know you are on track? How do you measure or track your progress and how do you know when you have reached your goal? Getting specific means, setting the goal to fit into those size 12 jeans again or to fit into the wedding dress of your dreams - these type of specifics give more clarity and an achievable vision rather than just saying you want to loose weight. Be as specific as you wish, in fact that more you stipulate all the tiny details, the better! Want a new boyfriend in 2023 - get picky! Write down exactly what you want, lord knows this is one area you don't want to have low standards! Once you get specific, you have a picture in mind and visualising this result will help keep you motivated and on track.

Set A Date

Believe it or not, setting a date for when you want to achieve your goal will instantly increase your chances of achieving it! Why is that? Because marking an end point in your calendar will not only motivate you it will guide you, make you accountable and give you a sense of urgency to complete what you set out to do. You see, without an end date you have no finish line and it's easy to loose sight of what you want to achieve. 

Around June last year, I set out a goal that I wanted to be in a new job by December 2022, giving myself 6 months to complete this goal. It wasn't easy and it required a lot of work but I was in my new role by the last week of November. Setting a date gave me the encouragement to do what I needed to do in a few months and it meant I prioritised certain things, sacrificed others in order to reach my goal by December. Oh yeah...that's another thing about reaching your goals, it's not always easy or a walk in the park, but it's always rewarding!

Write down your goals

Once you know what your goals are, you have been specific and you have set yourself an end date - write it all down! I wrote my job goals down in a piece of paper and carried them around with me in my handbag. Every detail was there from the work situation I wanted - hybrid - to the salary I was chasing. I would unfold my piece of paper and read it almost everyday as a reminder of what I was trying to achieve. Writing your goals down makes the dream real as something tangible you are working towards. This small act was also extremely helpful on difficult days and just the simple act of reading my goals gave me the motivation to keep going and not give up.

Work out what you need

Imagine deciding that you are going on a road trip somewhere. You probably want to be ready to go by having fuel in your car, maybe some snacks for the road, a good playlist, maybe you want to stop somewhere for lunch? Most of us will want to be organised so that our road trip goes well, without any inconveniences and we are home safe at the end of the day. That is exactly how goals work too. You will need to work out what you need to reach your goals.

If you want to fit into your dream wedding dress, you will probably need to get your body into shape with some gym equipment or a gym membership. You will definitely need to eat more heathy foods, cut out the junk and drink more water. Maybe your goal is to buy a house this year? Your spending habits will need to change as you save more money - do you download an app that will help you track your dollars? Create multiple savings accounts to help you balance your finances, do you seek the advice and help of a mortgage broker? Once you have all the tools that you need to reach your goals, take steps to take action. Write it all down and make the most out of the tools within your arsenal to truly smash those dreams! Remember - you don't have to do things on your own!

Get comfortable with failing

Here's how many times you're going to fail at reaching your goals - A LOT!! The idea that we are all going to achieve the things that we want without failing is utter rubbish. In fact, I have never met a successful person who has never failed, multiple times sometimes spectacularly. What separates successful people from unsuccessful people is that successful people aren't afraid to fail, they see failure as a reset button, they are not ashamed that they failed and they simply try again. Sometimes, dusting yourself off will require a lot of work, a harder reset and a lot of reflection but everytime you would have learnt what went wrong, what you can do better and you will have gained valuable experience. Failure is one of life's greatest gifts - while we don't see it at the time and it's sometimes hard to comprehend - see it as a way to try again but this time with new insight.

Visualise it

Some of you may be rolling your eyes right now - but believe it or not visualising is an extremely helpful tool! But don't just visualise your success, see yourself taking the steps you need to reach your goal. See yourself making every move on your way towards reaching your dreams. Visualisation works by placing your mind in that place, in that mood and telling your brain that this is the direction you are now taking. It's not magic - it's rewiring of your brain, which will in turn create a new way of looking at things, a new mindset, help you develop new habits and put you in the best possible state of mind to achieve all you set out to achieve. A lot of people visualise by way of meditation and this is my favourite way to see me achieving my goals. Sometimes, I sit for 15 minutes for a quick session, other times I will go a little bit longer. Sometimes, I promptly fall asleep and remember nothing but I make sure I use this tool as much as possible to help keep me disciplined. Athletes quite often use Visualisation to reach their goals. Race car drivers are a great example, they see themselves going through the track they will race on, every straight, every curve until they reach the finish line. Have you tried visualisation? While it may seem odd at first, it is truly a magnificent way to take control of your own mind and steer it towards success.

Develop a routine

The truth is, you won't always be motivated. In fact, there will be some days that will be challenging and you may even wonder if it's all worth it? On these days, it's not your motivation that will keep you gong but rather - your discipline. developing discipline is what will separate you from the rest. One of the ways to develop discipline is by developing a routine. What that looks like will depend on you, your lifestyle and what your goal is. If your goal is to stop drinking so much soda in 2023 then you may want to find your trigger point - is it everytime you have a meal that you crave a sugary drink - and develop a routine around that. For example you may wish to add a tall glass of water with orange and lemon slices everytime you eat. At first, it may seem odd but over time it can become habit which in turn will develop discipline. On the hard days when you just want to swig on a Pepsi, your discipline will steer you to a healthier option instead. This takes time and it's ok to take a few steps backwards. Remember, being comfortable with failing will make it easier for you to dust yourself off and try again. Like a muscle, habits are something that become tangible that more you exercise them and discipline is the gift that will help you attain your goals.

Are you ready to smash your goals in 2023?

I am truly excited for you all that have decided that this time, you will succeed! The key to success is to start in the first place - you are already ahead of most people so congratulations! Here's a wonderful year of exploration, trial and error and manifesting your dream! Don't forget to leave some comments below and let us know your goals for this year!

Happy Goal setting and don’t forget to be kind to yourself!

xx