In a few days we’ll be at the end of another year. Which means that most of us are thinking about what we’re going to do in 2022.
We’ll set goals for things we want to achieve. Maybe it’s more travel, or how to travel during these continuing virus mutations.
We may want to lose weight. Save money instead of spending it. Eat healthier. Exercise More. Learn a new skill or get a new hobby. Spend more time with family. Get more organized. Be less grumpy and more cheerful.
There are so many things on our personal bucket lists that we plan on getting around to with each new year. And each year about 80% of them don’t happen.
What are your goals for 2022?
As you start to think about what you’re going to do next year, adopt the Nike slogan as your own and “Just do it.”
That simple slogan is right. When there are things you want to do, or know you should do, stop procrastinating, stop just thinking about it, and just do it. Life is too uncertain to keep putting off things that are important to you.
If you’re one of those who abandons your goals each year, here are some tips for ways to keep yourself motivated so this year you make them happen.
1. Use a Penalty Jar to Stop Rationalizing and Making Excuses.
You are probably your own worst enemy at not meeting goals. To realize how often you rationalize and make excuses, create a penalty jar for each time it happens. Keep it sitting somewhere convenient. Put a quarter in your penalty jar each time you use an excuse or rationalization.
When you see how quickly the jar fills up with quarters its a visual reminder of how your behavior prevents you from reaching your goal.
2. Create A Vision Board, Journal, or Digital Diary. Choose a medium that is easiest and the most fun for you – artistic, tech, or print. It can be a bulletin board, scrap book, a file on your computer. Put pictures, notes, and visual reminders of what you want to achieve in the new year. Make it the background image on your phone, tablet, or desktop computer. Or put it on the front of your fridge.
If you want to travel more, have pictures of the places you want to go to keep you motivated to make it happen. If you want to eat healthier, put healthy recipes or a list of eating do’s and don’ts. The simple act of creating and adding to your vision board, journal, or digital document makes your goals tangible, which keeps you motivated to make them happen.
3. Make a “What If” Chart. Define the worst things that could happen if you don’t follow through on your goals. Then put them in a “What If” Chart that you keep where you see it every day. The front of your bedroom closet door is a great place for this. By creating the chart you’ll be reminded of the serious impact on you, your happiness, and your well-being when you keep disappointing yourself. It encourages you to make sure the worst doesn’t happen.
4. Don’t Expect Others to Cheer You On! Motivation has to come from within; it is created by you. Avoid the trap of getting input or affirmation from friends and family as a way to drum up the motivation to make a change. Others are too focused on their own needs to think about yours. They may not even agree with your goals. If they don’t seem supportive that can undermine your confidence and make you question what you want. Be your own cheerleader.
5. Take One Small Step at a Time. Remember that the situation you are in was created over a long period of time. Don’t overwhelm yourself by setting unrealistic timelines and trying to accomplish too much in a short time. For example, if you want to learn a new language, learn just one new word or phrase every day. By the end of the year you’ll have 365 phrases you can say in that language.
For many years the dream at the top of my list was to go to France. It was the one place I wanted to experience more than any other in the world. I finally made it happen in 2008. I traveled by myself. Prior to leaving I learned as much French as I could by enrolling in a French class at a local college, doing the Rosetta Stone language program on my computer, and listening to Berlitz French language tapes.
I spent a month there; most of it in Provence, some of the time in Paris. I had a really great time! I met interesting people. I managed to communicate with the little French I had learned which was very rewarding. I learned a lot about French life and culture that I hadn’t known. And I came back home exhilarated, with a fantastic sense of accomplishment.
And that’s the best thing about reaching your goals. It’s the satisfaction you feel inside. It’s yours and yours alone, because “You did it!”
“If you can dream it, you can do it.“
Walt Disney
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