Another year is coming to a close and itâs a good time to be thinking about how it went, and what youâd like to see in the coming year.
You may be realizing that time is short, and you still have some things to accomplish before the year ends. But how much can you get done with only one month left to go? By following these next steps, you might find you can end the year feeling not only accomplished, but also excited about whatâs coming next!
365 days.
52 weeks.
12 months.
You can split the calendar year in all manner of ways. There are holidays galore, seasonal change, and so much more besides. October – the 10th month of the year – sits in a unique position. Autumn is well and truly alive, summer is in the rear view mirror and Christmas isnât too far away. A period for reflection and forward-thinking inspection. Oh, and Halloween. October is a good time to take note of everything that has happened in the 9 months prior, while also cultivating a mind toward the future. The holiday season isnât too far away, so while Christmas lists are just around the corner, itâs time to focus on your journey.
What do you think of when you hear the words, âIron Disciplineâ and âUnwavering Willpowerâ? Superheroes? Some guys at the gym? A trusted Mentor?
Such qualities of great strength, endurance and self control can often seem out of reach. It might seem as if itâs something others are able to achieve, but may be too hard to find for ourselves. If youâre looking outside of yourself, you may struggle to find what youâre looking for, because those qualities come from within.
Picture yourself for a moment. Itâs 12:30 am on the 1st January. You and your friends are cooling off from the countdown and start thinking about the future. What goals do you have? Are they short or long-term? How achievable are they?
Itâs not just when setting New Yearâs Resolutions, either. We tend to focus on what the end goal looks like rather than the journey required to get there. Itâs all well and good picturing yourself in your new apartment or job, but not focusing enough on the small wins required to reach that stage could prove detrimental in the long run. After all, day-to-day life doesnât consist of big, life-changing actions. Itâs the âgrindâ – small, consistent actions that propel you towards bigger targets.
So, to keep those in mind, itâs worth remembering the difference between short-term and long-term gratification. Letâs say your goal is to get in shape for the summer. Itâs challenging to turn down a delicious takeaway, for example, because the long-term gratification gained from choosing the healthy option is too far into the distance to perceive and benefit from. Short-term gratification – the taste and ease that comes with a takeaway – is immediate and therefore more desirable for your present self.
In the pantheon of self-improvement buzzwords, âempowermentâ feels among the boldest. To empower is to literally give power to yourself. It feels intimidating in its grandiosity – as if the act of personal empowerment requires a life-changing act (or something to remember, at least.) It may feel difficult, then, to actively push for a personally empowered life. However, misvaluing its importance in the grand self-improvement scheme of things is an error not worth committing. To personally empower yourself allows you to organically grow confidence as you can firmly say yes, I did choose myself today. Achievements become more likely when you instil empowering levels of confidence in your mindset.
Do you believe that setting goals is an important ingredient in success? Or to put it another way, how successful do you think you would be if you didnât have goals? If you got up every day and allowed your day to unfold without direction, how do you think it would turn out?
Although having free time to relax and just let whatever happens form your day can be nice on occasion, most of the time if you want to reach your dreams and desires, you have to make an effort. And that effort involves goals and planning.
Life is like navigating a journey. And the first step in any journey is knowing where you want to go.
A new year is on the Horizon. This is a time when many people start to think about what changes they can make through goals or personal resolutions.
Whatâs the difference between a goal and a resolution? Well, a resolution tends to be a starting point, such as making yourself a pledge to begin exercising more or eat better.
A goal is more focused on a specific endpoint, such as losing ten pounds in six months, or walking for 20 minutes every evening after dinner. A goal has planned steps and measurable success.
So this year, when you think about what you want to accomplish in 2024, you might consider setting goals instead of new year’s resolutions. But where do you start?
Most people have goals. Personal goals, professional goals, fitness goals, and many other types of goals. Some are short term and are achieved quickly and easily. Others may take much longer. Some goals may literally take a lifetime.
We generally have goals over the course of a day or week. And can check them off our lists with little difficulty. But what about the bigger goals? Or goals we donât really want to do in the first place? What if we have goals set for us by our boss or other obligations that we need to accomplish but just canât seem to get to? And now itâs overdue. Time is running out and we havenât even started. What then?
What if youâve procrastinated too long on your goals and now you donât even know where to start?
Life is a process. We are always working on making improvements at a pace that works differently for each person. By constantly reassessing our thoughts and actions, we can know where to make changes to meet our goals.
Here are 10 questions to ask yourself frequently. Write them down and look at them on a regular basis to help know yourself better and navigate your course with clarity and awareness.
Finding the motivation to work towards your goals can sometimes feel like pulling teeth. Your body and emotional state reject every attempt from your mind to get you to feel excited and energized once again. You know youâve felt motivated before, and it felt great! So why canât you feel that way all the time? Why do you have to feel so uninspired?
Luckily, our minds and bodies arenât static. They change, and depending on what we do, we can cause new emotions to arise. When youâre in a state of demotivation, you can actually hack your body to start feeling motivated again with some simple tricks. Using these hacks, youâll be able to change your emotions at will and re-harness that excited, inspired energy.
