The end of an old year and the beginning of a new one holds great symbolism for many people. Even though we technically all know that every day is an opportunity to reflect, reject and start afresh, the excitement of Christmas, the heightened sense of over indulgence (spending money, working harder/or less so, being around couples, or eating more) starts us considering how we want it to be different next year, and the New Year celebrations around the corner brings a sense of motivation to get that thing we want and to reach our goals.
And then we go back to work. Real life kicks in. We're too busy, too broke, too hungry, too cold... and within an average of eight days, many people have given up. 'Next year' they say jovially, whilst mentally beating themselves up for being a failure, and experiencing feelings of guilt or frustration at their lack.
The key to achieving the success in anything, is belief, motivation and determination. There will be days that the motivation is not as strong as others, that's being human, but human beings are also amazing in their capabilities, and there are success stories everywhere of how people have achieved the things they want with a little support, a big belief, and a whole lot of getting back on track if they fall off that motivation wagon for a day or two. You just have to decide to do it.
It's not too late to get back on track now!
Here's how:
1) To help you stay motivated, give yourself a really clear and compelling picture of what the end goal is. For example; more money or a better job, feeling relieved or not being overweight still has the focus on what you don't want or don't have now, so decide how much money you'll have and what that means for you when you have it, focus on the positive feelings you now have because of achieving your goal, and what you'll be able to do as a result.
2) At the end of every day, whilst you are writing out your gratitude diary, also write a to do list for the next day. A mini action plan. That way, when you wake up in the morning there is no overwhelm, you know exactly what you want to get done that will help you move toward that big end goal, and how to do it. Start with the thing you least want to do first, that way it is done and the other things will be much easier....and keep in mind that compelling picture you created in step one as your motivator.
3) When I work with clients I always give them tools and tasks to continue doing until the point that they forget they ever felt a lack in confidence and believed things about themselves that created self-sabotaging behaviours and held them back. Creating new habits to replace the old ones is so important. Deep down, you'll know what you need to do to create the life you want, but if you refuse to do things differently you cannot expect it to happen. So decide what are the new daily habits that you can introduce to support getting your goals. It can be as simple as changing your thought process and starting your day with the sentence 'how can I make today even better' to spending an hour a day on the thing you want (sending speculative job applications, making contacts with new business connections, exercising or eating well, writing and articles, learning something etc.). There is always more you can do.
Remember, the best way to get what you want is to focus on it, take positive action and remove any doubt or negative emotions that arise along the way.