Boom! Your feet hit the floor and it is a new day. Sometimes you may even have had that New Year’s Resolution you are trying to keep up, and you are not alone but…
Almost everyone says they want to eat healthier, exercise, lose weight, quit smoking, be a better partner to their spouse, be a better parent, make more money, and all these things while managing their finances better, taking vacations, writing in their 
journal, spending time with friends and you get the point.
It cannot all be done at the same time. Check out this TED Talk to explain more about what we can do in a lifetime. You be you, find happiness, and find a way to fit the above things into your present lifestyle without restarting all the time. These things come with time, goals, a vision, and a plan. Talking with a coach can sometimes help you be more successful so you can be there for the ones you love or your community or for others around you.
You can do a lot, you can reach amazing goals but you must first realize that you need to pick one at a time. You need to set some goals for the short term and the long term and sometimes change behaviors to reach your goals. These behavior changes can be small or significant and will follow a set theory studied by researchers James Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente. Once you determine where you are in the stages of change you can start to act and move forward towards your goal. You can be in one stage for one goal like eating well but in another stage for another goal like being active and they both have to work towards the goal to lose weight. In cases where your stages of behavior change differ, it is important to assess which piece you want to work on first. It can’t all be done at once. This is where a good coach can help you clearly define your goals and stages of change for each piece of the pie called “your goal” to lose weight or live healthier, etc. (like what I did there?)
Before you sign up for a coach, a personal trainer, a weight loss challenge, a financial resolution to save, etc… think about what motivates you, what your goal is and how dedicated you are to get there. What stage(s) of behavior change are you in? This will help you help your coach to work alongside you as you work toward your bigger goal.
Signing up for something is not the only answer. It might be an answer if you are extrinsically motivated but if you are intrinsically motivated it might not work. Check out this tool to see if you are intrinsically or extrinsically motivated.
Here are 5 simple things to make lifelong habits easier and to help you make behavior changes …For Your Life™ not just for a 12 week challenge or a wedding or for the New Year…
Here are some tips to focus on one goal at a time:
- Take 1 hour and write down on a sheet whatever comes to your mind presently separate things into goals for your home, your work, and your fun for the next year.
- Put a number next to each item from 1 to 5. 1 is something you want to do in the next week and 5 is something you will get to be the end of the year.
- Take the 4’s and 5’s and put a line through them. This will allow you to focus on the 1’s, 2’s, and 3’s can be extra credit.
- Pick a “one” and write what your first step will be to reach towards that goal. Next do it for the other numbers up to all the three’s.
- Think about what your life has been like in the past. Have you reached goals, did you need help from friends, family, a coach, an event, etc? What made you successful? Write down the times you succeeded and what your success looked like and felt like.
This is also great information you can bring to a meeting with your personal trainer, health coach, doctor, financial planner, spouse, etc. These 5 tips to be more successful will help you make lifestyle changes that can stick.
