What's the one thing you must do NOW to hit your goals in 2018?
How are you feeling today? Let me guess... It's the second week back after the New Year, the Christmas tree has come down and the routine you thought you craved post Christmas is starting to feel a bit, well, routine. Already. The resolutions or intentions you set are starting to feel a bit too hard.
I like to call this the 'doubt dip'. The initial wave of enthusiasm you surfed in on is starting to ebb away as the reality of your calendar and your inbox take over again. AND, you haven't yet got far enough into your plan to give you the momentum to keep going. Your energy levels start to dip and you begin to doubt whether you're ever going to get there. Another few half hearted attempts await you before you give up altogether along with everyone else on the 17th Jan. The same goes for business, getting it right in the first few weeks are key to feeling like you've had a fast start.
So how do you get back to where you need to be? The secret is to focus on creating consistent momentum. It's a term I love, and it's fast becoming my 'thing'. To create consistent momentum you need to break your goals down to small enough chunks that you can take them on one by one. This gives you a greater chance to succeed consistently, which gives you the push to keep going. Where you don't succeed, as you're dealing with smaller chunks, it allows you to learn, course correct and adapt more quickly. In doing so, you create enough momentum towards your goal that it becomes more difficult to stop than to keep going. One of the most brilliant things about this approach is that it works right across the board, from personal goals and resolutions right up to large scale business goals and projects.
So, how do you go from feeling overwhelmed by the goals you've set, to feeling like you're well on your way to achieving them... there are three steps to creating consistent momentum:
Repeat, repeat, repeat
Every day, write down the goal you're trying to achieve and why. Visualise it, imagine what it will feel like when you've achieved it, and reinforce it. Make it a discipline that your goal is front of mind at the start of every day. If you're leading a team, replicate this process with them. Repeat the goal often, make sure they know what part they play in achieving it. Make it relevant, and above all shared. Shared purpose is one of the biggest contributing factors to team success. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Check in and make sure your team can repeat it back to you. If you think you're going on about it too much, you're probably hitting the right note.
2. Celebrate success, focus on the positives
Whatever you've done so far in the pursuit of hitting your goal, however far you've come, celebrate it now. Remind yourself of all the positives that stand in favour of you hitting your goals. Think about the support, knowledge, track record, achievements and experience you (and your team) have that will help you to achieve the goal. Spend time focussing on the positives and you will find more. The more things you have in your favour, the more you can do and the more momentum you will create. Remind yourself often of how far you've come.
3. Work out the steps
The best time to work out the steps to hit a goal is at the time you're setting it out. You will always hit unexpected bumps in the road, but if you're having to work the route out at the same time, you're far more likely to give up before you get there. Break it down into as small steps as you possibly can and then sense check them to make sure they're achievable.
Do each of these steps, and I promise, you WILL create consistent momentum and your goals will seem almost unnervingly simple to achieve.
Feeling like you might need some support? If you'd like to discuss how I can help you smash your goals for 2018 - why not book in for a 30 minute call? Or drop me a line on: hello@rebeccamorley.co.uk and tell me what you've got going on!
