How To Be More Successful in 2023!
New Years Resolutions vs. Goal Setting
It’s that time of year again, when most people start thinking or voicing the New Years Resolutions! Whether it is to learn a new skill, stop smoking, or join a gym there are countless resolutions that both you and I have heard over the years from friends and family.
Unfortunately, most of the time the resolutions set are more often than not realized and die young. “A poll of 2,000 British people, published by Bupa, found that of those who said they would be setting a New Year’s resolution for 2023, half were not confident they would stick to it” (Juliet Eyseneck, The Telegraph, 2022)
Why is it so common to fail your resolutions?
Around one in five people set overly ambitious and potentially unsustainable resolutions instead of setting small goals. It also comes back to your values, what it truly means to you to achieve the goals you set and also enjoying the journey along the way rather than looking at it as a chore. Setting smaller more realistic goals is a scientifically proven way to ensure you achieve what you have set out and gives you a chance to celebrate mentally, emotionally and physically more often.
How to set goals not resolutions!
Setting goals is so powerful. It shapes your dreams. It drives you to get up in the morning. It pushes you to keep going when it all feels like it’s too hard. Most importantly it will keep you accountable. Here is a closer look at my key steps to help you set your goals for 2023:
It needs to be Specific: Your goals need to be specific; they aren’t something you should waffle about it. When we have a clear goal in mind we naturally work better. An example would be, ‘I want to be able to do 10 pushups this year’
It needs to be Measurable: Always set goals that are measurable as this helps to keep you motivated as you can see how far you have come. An example would be, ‘I want to lose 5kg by Easter & keep it off’.
It needs to be Attainable: One of the biggest mistakes people make when set New Years resolutions, hence why they don’t work, is setting the bar so high that it seems like it will never be achieved, therefore unattainable.
It needs to be Realistic: This one doesn’t need too much explanation as the word speaks for itself, real-istic! Your goals need to be realistic and something that can fit into your everyday life. Saying something like ‘I’m going to go completely Paleo’ isn’t realistic because lets face it, unless you want to live like a hermit and never socialise with friends or family again, there is good chance you won’t be able to stick to that.
It needs to be Recorded: There is no use just having your goals in your head, speak out loud and write them down. Then they become real and your more accountable to your actions and also to achieving them. Here at FITA-U, I advise our members to write down their goals and also put them up on our goals board. It serves as a constant reminder at those time when you feel like you wont make it through a tough workout or having a bad day and wonder if it’s all worth it. Also the empowering feeling of crossing off a goal once its achieved is indescribable.
What is your why?
You’ve got the ‘what’ now let’s dissect the ‘why’ behind the goal because the ‘why’ is what will drive you. You may have some really exciting, positive ‘why’s’, but if your ‘why’ is because something/someone external thinks you “should” do it, the driving force isn’t going to be there for you to be disciplined enough to do what needs to be done in order to achieve it. This is an excellent way to reassess your goals.
Create a picture/image
Visualising what you are wanting to work towards and achieve. This can be in the form of a vision board, setting your goal on the lock screen on your phone, or just simply just physically writing down your goal so you can see it on paper.
So for 2023, instead of saying ‘My new years resolution is…’ think about setting goals that have a positive and assertive theme and that intrinsically drive you. You will find that you will stay so much more motivated to achieving them; I know it has certainly helped me!
Happy New Year and 2023 Goal Setting!
Yours in health,
Ashley Carucci
Director and Head Coach
