By Jillian Broaddus and Chuck Cusumano
We’ve written numerous blogs on New Year’s resolutions… ideas for setting BIG goals, why 90% of resolutions fail, and productivity tips to help you with whatever you hope to accomplish.
However, as we think ahead to next year and want to help you make it your best year yet, we have a new suggestion (and it’s why you’re currently reading about New Year’s resolutions in September): start early.
Think about it… Say your goal is to run a marathon in 2025. You decide this on December 31, 2024, with no running under your belt throughout the entire winter. Your lack of a cardio foundation leads to your January training to feel even tougher, pushing you to forego your ultimate aim.
Or, perhaps your resolution is to write a novel. However, you haven’t put pen to paper since high school English class, and the writer’s block hits before the confetti has even been cleared away.
Or, maybe your hope is to lose the last 10 pounds that’s shown up on your resolutions list for 5 years and counting. However, knowing this goal is coming, you go crazy over the holidays, setting yourself back even further from your finish line come New Year’s Day.
No matter your goal, there are ways you can start NOW to set yourself up for success in 3 months. We don’t mean that you need to dive head-first into achieving your resolution; after all, that might result in the same outcome as if you began January 1st. Instead, we encourage you to ask yourself the following questions:
What will/should my 2025 resolution be?
What will that look like, in terms of my day-to-day life? (E.g., “I will wake up every morning before work to jog 3-5 miles.” “I will set aside 30 minutes per day to writing.” “I will cut sugar from my diet.”)
What will be the likely challenges of this adjustment to your daily life? (E.g., “I am not used to waking up earlier.” “I don’t manage my current schedule well, to know how I will fit in time to write.” “I currently consider myself addicted to sugar and will likely experience withdrawals.”)
What can you do today, tomorrow, and in the next 3 months to make this adjustment more manageable? (E.g., “I will start waking up 15 minutes, then 30 minutes, etc., earlier, in order to adjust. And I will start a walking habit to build up to regular running.” “I will audit my calendar, and see where time is being wasted. And I will begin writing whenever inspiration strikes, so it is not starting from scratch in the New Year.” “I will start cutting out just ‘added’ sugar in the coming weeks, to give my body time to adjust. And I will find recipes that will satisfy my sweet tooth while cutting out the sugar.”)
And finally, how can we help?
We hope your 2025 is not only your best year yet, but truly your best year ever! Let us know how we can aid your goal-setting journey at hello@thejoshuagroup.net.
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