New Year’s resolutions
Happy New Year! With the echo of those famous words still ringing in our ears, the New Year has begun, and what a fantastic year it will be. All the aspirations we hold close look so real in the afterglow of this happy joyous festivity when the year starts. Dreams we hold dear, hopes of better things to come, and aspirations of better quality of life form in our minds and many make themselves self evident in the form of our famous proclamation called ‘The New Year’s Resolution’. Yes, that’s right, a resolution to do something we haven’t made a real priority so far in our lives. They usually come in the form of a desire to rid us of a self-perceived character defect; I’m quitting smoking, I’m going to loose 20 pounds, and I’m quitting drinking! These are our battle cry and we profess them loudly to all on that fate filled night only to have the hard reality stare us in the face the next morning.
Change your future… today!
You see it’s easy to make the commitment in the company of friends, however, when the time comes to face the struggle you’re alone and unequipped to persist through the struggle. Temptation to fall back into the same behavior are overwhelming and well beyond our ability to cope with. So how do we win over this well-established foe? What if we could know that when we made a resolution success was imminent and nothing could stop us? Think of how empowering that would be! No more failure; only success to start the New Year off with power. The fact is this can be your reality if you take the necessary steps towards your goal. Let’s review them and make this year a year of accomplishments building our self-esteem!
Six positive coaching steps to make change
1. Plan ahead
All successful people plan. Some time ago I went to the movie “The Incredible’s” with my two youngest sons’ and one of the lines of encouragement to our Superhero was “Life favors the prepared.” So remember, even Superhero’s need to prepare in advance! Create a plan that will incorporate all the steps found here and place them in a binder for frequent viewing and follow-up. Change the plan as often as necessary to make it relevant. As you proceed forward you will encounter new things and learn along the way when you do you will need to update your plan.
2. Get help from a specialist
Get help from a specialist such as a specialty program, someone trained in the area you wish to change in your life or a coach. These Transitional Change Experts are highly valuable and reduce the stress related to you challenge. They have knowledge of the steps you need to go through to make it through the tough times and have specialty defined skills to make the changes quicker and easier to take.
3. Develop a support team
Enlist the support of close family and friends to help encourage you and uplift you in times of temptation and struggle. Most people will not have a support team and if they do, they will reach out to it far too late. For you to move forward it is important to have cheerleaders. Just about the time when you are ready to quit a cheerleader will speak a word or two of encouragement. The best part of developing this team is that when you finally make it to your goal you will have someone to celebrate it with. We all need help! Nobody makes it alone!
4. Make the commitment
Commitment is what turns dreams into realities.
This is the commitment process:
You look to see what you want.
You can commit to anything – a person, a job, a way of life, losing 10 pounds or deciding how to spend a weekend. What you commit to is not really important. What matters is the relationship you develop with yourself by committing to what you want. It’s the feeling of knowing you can be counted on to do what you say you will do and to have what you want.
You choose it.
Your choice is what you want, and your commitment makes choice real. It means: this is going to happen, and I am going to be the one who causes it to happen. Commitment means doing what you say you will do and having what you want, no matter what the obstacles. When you have chosen someone or something, there is no more confusion or doubt. You have direction, focus and purpose. Commitment gives you freedom, and it gives you great power.
You commit to it.
Commitment means putting all your resources behind the things you have chosen to make it happen – putting all your eggs in one basket. It means complete trust in your choice with no more holding back, no more waiting to see if something or someone better will come along. No reason can stop you when you are committed.
5. Prepare mentally – Your mindset is the most important component in our success or failure. To conquer our mental attitude we must become students of how we think and make conscience decisions to change. Like an ocean liner in the sea of confusion, to change the course of the ship we must decide to do so and turn the captains’ wheel or our minds to the direction we wish to go. Then even though the rudder has moved, the large ship will take a long time before and noticeable visual changes takes place. So it will also seem with our lives. The good news is that once we are on track the change we desire will take place and be just as difficult to change back.
It has been said that all great people are just ordinary people with an extraordinary amount of determination. A person’s greatness is revealed by the character trait perseverance. It becomes evident when a challenge shows up. It takes a lot to discourage them.
6. Do it now! As Jimmy one of my former colleges said once “Great opportunities are usually disguised by hard work, that’s why most people never see them. If you want something bad enough and are persistent in your action, it will always be available to you.” Action is starting now and not tomorrow. The path or the actions you may do might change but the destination or goal doesn’t. Like taking a trip in your car, if you wait for all the traffic lights to be green before you start you will never leave.
Remember complacency is like living in a mental Cul-De-Sack, safe secure and not changing! Chase your dreams and let this next year be the best year of your life!