As we bring in the New Year, so many of us want take this new beginning and work toward starting something better for ourselves. Something that will help us advance or grow in some way, because it’s in our nature to desire to be better. Many of those New Years resolutions end up being no more than a desire. Why is that? Why is it so hard to turn our desires into reality?
My experience tells me that when we make these decisions we are in an emotional state that stimulates us to envision these outcomes that we are seeking. When it comes down to taking the steps to reach those goals, the emotion of the decision is usually gone. Without the emotion there to push us we tend to fall back into old habits that don’t get us anywhere.
So how do you break the cycle? You have to make the most of the emotional state while you’re still in it. Instead of committing to the end result, commit to a process that will get you there…one that will become habit over time. For example, if I want to lose 20lbs, instead of committing to losing the 20lbs, I am going to commit to meeting a friend 3 times a week at the gym. In business, if you want your team to reach their quarterly goals, commit to a weekly meeting where you will review progress and next steps on reaching those goals. The processes that you put in place will help you reach your goal, and create habits that will last far beyond that goal.
I have discussed the process of reaching goals before, as it’s something that my team and I are always working to get better and better at. This year we created a free tool that we are hoping will help more people stay on track and reach their goals by creating a social network of support, along with a roadmap to getting where you want to go. It is still in the Beta stage, but feel free to check it out at AchieveStreet.com.
Happy New Year to you as you pursue all of your dreams, and best wishes using a process that will turn them into a reality.