REFLECTIONS COACHING
Looking at your life
goals and resolutions
this New Year
hy do I so often fail with my New Year
resolution? Are Goals and Resolutions
the same thing? Personal Development
Coach, Carolyn Trafford sets about
answering those very questions.
Setting New Years resolutions are a bit of a
tradition. I’ve been waking up on the 1st January
for as long as I can remember and making
promises to myself. Its something my mum first
encouraged me to do. I often compare notes with
friends, and it is usually about weight loss (well it
is that time of year and I’ve probably eaten too
much over Christmas.
How many resolutions last the year? Not
many and that’s probably the case for most
people. In fact if you start to research the topic
you’ll find that stats suggest that most will be
broken by the middle Monday in January.
Frequently dubbed Blue Monday, this day is the
accumulation of long nights, back to work
syndrome, arrival of credit card bills and little to
look forward to. Add to that, the fact that most
people’s resolutions are about giving something
up or doing something they don’t really want to,
then it can become a difficult proposition to
maintain.
Properly formulated goals can be a very
different proposition. So why are goals so
different?
Whether we set a goal or a resolution, the
intent is the same – to achieve something we’re
not currently achieving, however we have to
WANT to achieve it. Sitting down with a new
diary and creating resolutions for the sake of
resolutions won’t work. If it’s something we want
to do then we’re much more likely to put the
effort in.
So ask yourself the question – Do you want to
lose weight or is it simply that you want to feel
better about yourself? Do you want to give up
alcohol or is it about being healthier?
Once you understand what’s driving your
resolution then working toward achieving that
goal becomes more about having a positive
W
motivation, rather than moving away from
something you don’t want.
Goals should be specific. They should identify
exactly what it is you want to achieve, this way
you will know when you’ve achieved it. This
should include a quantity if appropriate and a
time by when you will have succeeded.
So if your goal is about getting fit, how will
you know when you feel fitter? Perhaps a
measure might be being able to run for 5 minutes
without stopping by the end of March OR being
able to walk upstairs without being out of breath.
Goals are much easier to achieve in small
steps. If your goal was to write a novel by the end
of the year, that’s one big task that you may put
off until November and then it becomes
unrealistic.
Break your goals into small
manageable steps. In this case it may be to write
the outline by the end of January, 1st chapter by
end of February and get feedback in March.
Celebrate each achievement as you reach it.
And remember, don’t be hard on yourself. We
all lose our way from time to time. It’s like riding
a bike, the trick is to get back on when you fall
off. So don’t be hard on yourself, just resolve to
start again.
Carolyn Trafford is a Leek based personal
development coach supporting others in reaching
their true potential. If there’s something you
want to achieve get in touch today.
Carolyn Trafford
Reflections Coaching
07714 216388
Email Caro@
reflectionscoaching.co.uk
www.reflectionscoaching
.co.uk
Leek Life January/February 2014 31