New Year’s Day is one of my favorite times of the year because naturally I have found myself in a higher state of gratitude for the year prior, and motivation for the year to come.
For the last 10 years I have tried different strategies to achieve the goals I set for myself, with some years going better than others. For the first several years I found myself just like everyone else- a few weeks had gone by, and my goals were nowhere to be seen.
Fast forward 10 years later and I have figured out a way to stick with the goals I’ve set for myself, so today I’m going to share that with you.
Step 1: Recognize how far you’ve come.
If you’re like me, nobody is harder on yourself than you are. I’m as guilty as setting godlike standards and expectations on myself as anyone else, which can ironically ruin our chances at achieving our goals if we’re not careful.
Before you start setting new goals, take five to ten minutes to think about how far you’ve come in the last one, five and ten years. You might be shocked to find how much of a positive mindset this puts you in, because when you think back 10 years and realize how far you’ve come, you’ve just proven to yourself that you can do it again.
Tip: anytime you find yourself frustrated, in a rut or at a plateau, revisit this step. This can help you get out of a bad mental state.
Step 2: Make your list of “wants”
When’s the last time you thought about the things you want? Places you want to go, restaurants you want to try, experiences that you want to have?
I want you to take some time to think UN-realistically. List out all your desires that you think are out of reach or impossible to have or do. A few things are going to happen here:
First, this is a fun process, and you’ll start to feel some excitement build as you make your list.
Second, after you finish your list, this is going to help encourage you to get out of your limited mindset, and into a growth mindset.
It’s time to start thinking to yourself “how can I make this happen?” rather than “There’s no way that can happen.”
Make the list.
Step 3: Superhero You
This might sound cheesy, but this was the most powerful thing I did for myself just over a year ago. The mental, emotional and physical transformation I’ve made sense taking this step has been life changing.
Leave yourself some time to think about and envision the “Superhero” version of yourself. Don’t confuse superhero with perfect, because don’t forget even superman has kryptonite. Aiming for perfection has been proven time and time again to be a poor strategy.
Instead, imagine you’re ten year old you looking 30, 40 or 50 years into the future, and you’re visualizing the best version of yourself. What do you see? What do you look like? How are you dressed? What energy do you possess? What values do you have? How is your character?
Take some time to be as descriptive as you can so you can create a clear picture of the superhero version of yourself.
Step 4: Three Daily Action Items
Once you’ve created that clear picture of the superhero version of yourself, I want you to list out some critical actions that person would take on a daily basis. You might come up with five, ten or more items on your master list. Once you have that list, I want you to pick out THREE of them you can start doing right now.
For me it’s this simple:
1. Get up when my alarm goes off
2. Exercise/Move for at least 30 minutes
3. Hit my nutrition target
In my opinion, the simpler the better. These three action items might seem easy, but the long-term effect of staying consistent with them has been profound.
Step 5: DO these three things every day for 90 days
“Steve, the program isn’t working, we need to change something.”
Me: “How long have you been doing the program?”
“Two weeks.”
Me: “You need to stick with the program.”
Sadly, we all know that most people are going to ditch their goals just a few weeks into the new year. There are a few reasons for this:
1. They get frustrated they don’t see results immediately, so they quit.
2. An inconvenience gets in the way (schedule change, sickness, ache or pain), so they quit.
3. They aren’t as excited as they were during the first few weeks, so they quit.
You have to make it up in your mind that you are going to stay committed to your action items at all costs. The difference from people who achieve their goals to the ones that don’t? The ones that achieve their goals stick with their process when conditions aren’t perfect, and when they don’t feel like it.
Additionally…
So many people get caught up in trying to figure out the perfect plan, and never end up taking action. There is no such thing as a perfect plan. Expect course corrections to be a part of your process every 90 days. Don’t overthink this. Pick the three action items and get started on them today.
2024 can be the best year of your life and can serve as a pivotable moment for you. Make the time to go through this process (or something like it), and at this time next year you’ll be able to look back at how far you’ve come and be absolutely amazed at how much you’ve accomplished.
Cheers to making 2024 the best year yet!
-Steve
Goal Setting Workshop (free download)
