The Four Pillars of Successful “Resolutioning”
January is one of my favorite months of the year, which is odd, considering it’s also a time during which my hometown transforms into a dark and frozen icy tundra abyss. Despite the unideal climate that could easily make a guy want to hibernate, I’m adrenalized by the sense of renewal that comes with the season. Not a do-over per se, but a fresh start.
While there may be some pain that enters into my process, especially as I reflect on the prior year’s shortcomings, I have gotten better over my 10-year fitness career at acknowledging my victories and understanding that most of the misses can be attributed to my constant changing of the “goalposts” (setting more and more ambitious goals), not my lack of desire or follow-through.
With that said, I can acknowledge that the busied messiness of real life along with longstanding hard-habits can certainly be obstacles for even the most well-intentioned and inspired “resolutioner.” And long before you can even attempt to kick it through those uprights that you’ve been moving around, the ball has already been dropped. We fail before we even get off the ground.
So how can we best approach this year’s goal-setting process with optimism and hope, all while avoiding fear and paralysis? How can we get excited to have bolder dreams again? Well, as an entrepreneur, husband, personal trainer and coach, these are the questions I have to answer for both myself and with my clients. And I have become something of an expert in the area. So I would like to share with you some best practices of mine. I hope these four pillars of successful “resolutioning” can help and inspire you to your best year ever!
1. Create your own focus system
I have found that behind most individuals who dream ambitiously and successfully, there is a visible system in place outlining the specific, tangible actions needed to take a step forward. And it all starts with identifying the one to three (max) goals you want to accomplish this year.
Some of these goals can be fulfilled or changed altogether before the end of the year so there is no hard cap; however, if we are trying to pull off more than three major projects at any one time, we will struggle to stay in the fight for any extended period. Goal-setting purists even tell us to narrow it all the way down and focus on THE ONE THING that matters most. So my advice would be to keep it simple and give yourself permission to put some stuff on the back burner until you’ve freed up more bandwidth.
Once you have identified your small number of goals, you must WRITE THEM DOWN somewhere you will see EVERY DAY. This is the biggest take-away and even seems reductive, but it’s actually surprisingly challenging in practice. No one wants to stare their goals in the face when things aren’t going well.
I have used various different systems for this throughout my life. In the past, I found that printing them out and taping them to a mirror (or refrigerator) to be highly effective. I’ve written them on the inside of my journal, typed them onto a Word doc, and even created my own Excel spreadsheets. Hell, if you are creative, have fun and create your own thing.
Recently, in my quest to better display my goals on a daily basis, I have gone back to the analog world (as the act of physically writing helps me remember my intentions better) and have adopted Michael Hyatt’s “Full Focus Planner.” I highly recommend his system for all the Type A’s out there who like to have everything organized in one neat and naturally flowing paper planner. https://michael-hyatt-company.myshopify.com
From there, you can then take the next important step to break down those big goals into smaller, more manageable daily actions that won’t paralyze you. These need to be visible as well and can often present themselves as to-do lists, streak trackers, schedule reminders, etc.
Once again, the big take away here is that you have to force yourself to physically look at the actions you said you would take, and you must do this on a daily basis. Some days you will fall flat on your face, and that’s fine; it’s totally normal and likely to happen again at some point. But do not ignore your commitment to yourself. Instead, give yourself some grace and move on, because the things that aren’t as important to you (or are more important to someone else) will otherwise steal your attention.
This isn’t an exercise for the week. This isn’t an exercise for the month of January. This constantly evolving physical manifestation of your goals is a yearlong practice, so stay focused.
2. Outsource some added accountability
Hey, I wouldn’t still be in business as a personal trainer if this wasn’t so important. And let me tell you, my clients are generally very successful individuals in most areas of their life. They absolutely do not lack discipline or desire. So there is no shame in outsourcing some added accountability in the department where you need it the most.
Personally, I rarely have a problem getting motivated to exercise. I’m good at it. I’ve always done it. I’m confident in a gym. But if didn’t have a financial planner who helped me save for taxes, retirement, and life, I’m not sure I would even be able to afford this laptop I’m typing on. Saving money did not come naturally to me. But I made it a priority and, with some outside guidance (and pressure), I have put myself and my business in a spot financially I never would have once imagined. It was worth it to pay someone to make me do something that I never would have done otherwise and I’m not gonna beat myself up because I needed the help.
Accountability can come in many different forms and it doesn’t even have to be expensive. One of the best tools out there right now leading to high levels of goal achievement is the act of simply stating your intentions in a public forum. You could share your progress with a social media group that you trust. You might make a pact with a small group of likeminded friends or peers. Even going back to putting your written goals on the mirror; you can subtly let your significant other or roommate know what it is you are trying to accomplish. You up the ante with yourself when you do this, and it is a necessary step that you can’t avoid out of fear.
The fear of failure is real in everyone, but as Robert Schuller once said, “It is better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly.”
3. Reward / Celebrate Success
For a long time, I carried the assumption that the reward for achieving one’s goals was the reward in and of itself. And to some extent, this is true. When we accomplish our mission, we are filled with positive feelings of accomplishment and pride. Perhaps we have even moved our lives forward in some capacity, unlocking a host of new, exciting challenges we thought we would never be in a position to see.
But life is also full of struggle. The path to where we are trying to go is forever winding, full of slow turns and inefficient switchbacks. So we must allow ourselves to celebrate all the victories along the way, big and small, so as we don’t get too sidetracked on our journey and miss being happy in between all the milestones that we tell ourselves will make us happy.
This year, I have committed — more than ever — to creating fun rewards for accomplishing the variety of goals I have set for myself. Obviously, for the big hairy goals that are going to take all year to knock out, I’m letting myself celebrate in much bigger and grander fashion than I would for accomplishing a monthly goal. Nevertheless, I’ve baked in rewards everywhere at every step of the way, and it’s a lot more fun!
Again, the costs can be low on this. Sometimes, just the gift of giving yourself permission to relax or do something restorative can do the trick. But if you feel guilty for enjoying online shopping from time to time, then this is could be a great opportunity for you.
4. Be honest and realistic with yourself
In the end, we all have to acknowledge that there is no perfect process. Managing expectations is how we can combat this and therefore leads to increased consistency. It’s also probably why I like the New Year so much. Letting go of the baggage that comes along with the imperfect journey is so vital to moving forward that it makes sense to me to be so traditionally and ceremonially crazy about creating new resolutions.
I often hear people complain about the “resolutioners” every year as they spill into the gym for a month, taking up valuable parking, locker room and squat rack real estate. I have to fight my own inclination to agree with the sentiment, but I am mostly left saddened. It takes a lot of courage to attempt change. I hope that people keep taking their shots, even if they miss. Because I have seen success from the unlikeliest of clients. If we charted it out somehow it would probably look a lot like the stock market. Peak here, collapse here, but always rising. And this is what being honest with oneself is all about.
Enthusiasm is going to wax and wane like the tide over the course of the month, let alone the year. Your perfect streak of unbitten nails may end tragically on a stressful conference call. An injury may sideline you from the hamster wheel for a couple of weeks. And I’ll be damned if other people outside of your control do not comply at all times.
But if you can narrow your focus down to the point where you know the one thing you need to accomplish that day; if you can be bold and put your goals out there into the universe, allowing someone else to share in both your success and struggle; and, finally, if you can set realistic expectations for your approach then I know you will find yourself reaping that big reward we talked about before we do it all again in 2019.
If you would like help setting up fitness related goals and exercise programing, please message us here and tell us that you would like a free consultation!
SCOTT SMITH, CSCS
VOTED BEST TRAINER IN KANSAS CITY – The Pitch Magazine
