Leading you | Page 39

# FREEPIK
attitudes , habits and decisions . How do you look at life ? How do you relate with yourself ? Do you like and accept yourself ? No one can take charge of you , except yourself . You make the choices . You make the decisions . You act , or not , and the results follow .
Physical Wellness : Physical wellness is essential for a full , active life , and achieving your goals . It ’ s difficult to achieve top performance with an unhealthy , weak body , yet we often mistreat our bodies through our lifestyle choices . It ’ s never too late to start taking better care of yourself through moderation and wholesome eating , drinking water , exercising and ensuring you regularly have quality rest .
Connections : No man is an island . How strong are your connections with friends and family ? They are your support system . Evaluate your difficult relationships too . Can they be repaired ? What is your contribution to the issues ? Who do you need to forgive , or ask for forgiveness ? Is there room for healing and reconciliation ? Do your best to create peace , and if this is not possible , and the other person is unwilling to make authentic efforts towards improvement , it may be healthier for you to distance yourself from a toxic relationship for your own wellbeing .
Community : Beyond our social circles is a whole world . How involved are you in the community around you ? There is no limit to ways to contribute . Identify the social needs in your community , and get involved . Support a neighbor , organize a neighbourhood clean-up or adopt a school , hospital or children ’ s home in your community . Also find ways to support relatives financially , or in kind .
Learning : In general , Kenyans read for exams and to keep up with the news . Choose to be a lifelong learner . Identify your areas of growth and take advantage of freely available resources , such as articles , videos , podcasts , webinars , training and books . Spending regular time learning will quickly see you become an expert in your chosen area .
Work : How is your work or business performance ? Are you best in class in your area of expertise ? What possibilities exist for high excellence and promotion ? Are you strategically progressing towards them , marching on the spot , or regressing ? What ’ s your next level , and how will you grow to it ?
Finances : It is said that money makes the world go round . There is little you can do in our economy without money . Do you have a plan to gain financial freedom ? Set realistic financial goals and create a budget that keeps you living within your means . Save diligently , and invest for growth in passive income . Assess your risks as well and manage them .
Break Down Your Goals
Once you set your annual goals , which should not be more than ten , decide how you ’ ll start working towards them . For example for your physical goal you may want to lose 20 kilograms this year , so for the quarter to March you could set a target to lose five kilogrammes and two kilogrammes in February . Further break down your February goals to weekly goals to achieve your monthly target , for instance , you may decide to exercise 4 times a week for 30-40 minutes .
Don ’ t Wait to Start
Once your goals are set and clarified , start on them immediately . Don ’ t wait for perfect , and don ’ t give reasons why you can ’ t start . Just get on with it and move decisively towards your goals , improving as you go along .
Push and Persist
It is easy to start , but keeping going is not always easy . According to the Oxford Dictionary , commitment is the state or quality of being dedicated to a cause or activity . Vocabulary . com defines it as the act of binding oneself ( intellectually or emotionally ) to a course of action . It is evidenced by persistence , such as refusing to stay down if you slip , and keeping on pushing , because your eye is on the prize and you must , no , you will win !
Get Accountability
Don ’ t walk alone . Share your plan with someone you respect and trust , who is committed to you and is available to hold you accountable through the year . Review your progress and share with your accountability partner , highlighting your successes , challenges and lessons learnt . Also share your plans for the following month and how you will win where you did less well . They should listen non-judgmentally and empathically . They may challenge you and offer suggestions for improvement , but should leave the final decisions to you .
Be Kind to Yourself
While being tough on yourself , also be kind . You are on a journey of change and will not entertain weakness or excuses . That said , change takes time and you need to appreciate this . Don ’ t beat yourself up if you don ’ t achieve your goals immediately . Instead , be patient with yourself , diligently learn the lessons and apply them going forward . The small changes you consistently make will surely bring you to your desired results .
Winning gold in 2024 is about the daily choices you make , and now is a good time to start . Embrace your new , empowering mindset , and relentlessly push to win . No excuses .
Celebrate your successes and learn from both your successes and challenges . You can do it ! Simply start .
I wish you a brilliant run as you go for gold this year !
Caroline Nyamwaya Mwazi is Chief Change Catalyst of Huru Consult Limited , a Nairobi-based management and training consulting company . She is also the Lead Coach for the 12-month Go for Gold ! Group coaching programme . Connect with her on LinkedIn @ Caroline Nyamwaya Mwazi . To get the Go for Gold ! planning tool for reflecting and setting tangible goals , send an email to : Info @ huruconsult . com .