The parties are over, friends and relatives have gone home, and the festive holiday songs have gone back into hiding until next year.
It’s back to reality, which can be a bit unsettling, as we’ve become rather fond of throwing out the “it’s the holidays” excuse.
Not only is the excuse gone, we’re left with self-expectations, societal-expectations — or both — to “do better” this year.
For some that means specific goals, while others make a weaker vow to lose weight, eat better, or earn more money in 2019.
However you approach it, we’re all looking for a fresh start in at least one area of our lives.
And when we don’t charge out of the gate winning the race in the first few days, the temptation to give up is strong.
It’s no mystery why only 8-12% of people who make new year goals reach them, and everyone else is pretty much out by the end of January.
The biggest reason is the pressure and expectations we put on ourselves. We think we have to jump out of bed on January 2nd, and hit the streets running a marathon.
But that’s not how life works.
To run a marathon you’re going to get up, eat something good for you, mentally prepare yourself, put on the proper clothing and shoes, stretch and warm up, get in your car and drive to the race.
It’s obvious that you wouldn’t skip any of these steps.
And the key to a happy, rather than stressful and disappointing, start to the new year is likewise to prepare yourself properly for the year to come by setting a solid foundation.
Today we’re going to talk about three often overlooked pieces of that foundation.
1. Focus on One Goal With a Big Why
Even if your written list isn’t long, you’ve likely got a lot of internal expectations for “doing better.”
A key reason for failure is no one can become a new person overnight.
Pick one goal to start focusing on today, and make sure you have it written down.
How do you know which goal to choose?
Choose one that has a big “why” behind it.
If you want to lose weight because you know it’s what your spouse wants, that’s going to be a tough one. Goals that are someone else’s wishes for us never work out too well.
If you want to lose weight because you know it will improve your health, the energy you have to be with your kids, and your life expectancy, that’s likely a big internal “why” for you.
The bigger your “why” behind a goal, the harder it will be for you to give the goal up, even if you fail at first.
You don’t have to just put away the other goals entirely for now, but developing the new habits required for weight loss will be your top priority.
And remember, as you’re developing new habits in one area, they will transfer over to better habits in other areas too.
So while your focus is just on one goal, you may be surprised to find yourself unconsciously making progress in the other areas too.
2. Go Easy on Yourself
It’s January 2 and you woke up and instinctively ate a cinnamon roll for breakfast?
Maybe you should just scrap that weight loss goal right here and now. It’s depressing and no one expects you to keep your new year’s resolutions anyway.
Millions of people across the world will resolve to lose weight and fail, so at least you’ll be in good company.
Instead of rationalizing your early failures and why it doesn’t matter anyway, take a breath and go easy on yourself.
Remember your breakfast habits weren’t developed in a day and they won’t change in a day.
Resolve to be firm yet gentle with yourself, knowing that every second of every day won’t be perfect and that it’s okay.
Remember your why, and know that you can get back to it at your next meal and by planning now for tomorrow’s breakfast.
3. Put Your Family on the Same Team
Going it alone is hard. And even if you have a friend or accountability buddy, without buy-in from your family it’s often going to feel like you’re swimming upstream.
If you haven’t done any new year planning with your family, it’s not too late.
Yes, your kids might roll their eyes at first, but they will thank you (secretly or out loud) by year’s end.
Have everyone make goals and choose at least one to make public to the family.
Talk about how the family can best support each person in their chosen goal. Make sure everyone understands this isn’t about harassing and belittling each other.
Setbacks will happen, and you’ll need encouragement and accountability during those times.
One of the biggest rules is that you’re all on the same team. When one person wins, everyone wins. When one person struggles, we all step up to help get the team back on top.
The importance of having this shared vision within your family is huge, so don’t dismiss it at something that “won’t work” with your spouse or son or daughter. Make it work.
And when it comes to your business goals, remember Kids Party Characters is always on your team. Owner Cheryl Jacobs is passionate about helping stay at home moms start their dream business, and helping moms who work outside the home become work at home moms.
Cheryl’s created a unique opportunity for membership in Kids Party Characters that gets you started with your very own business that includes an exclusive territory in which to book parties, and the right to use our 200+ costumes and all the other tools Cheryl has used to grow a six-figure business.
You’ll even get step-by-step instruction from Cheryl on how to set your business up the right way to get into profit as quickly as possible.
If this might be the right opportunity for you, schedule a chat with Cheryl right here and she’ll answer all your questions and help you figure out the right path for your life.
Want to learn more about Kids Party Characters? Join us on Facebook for daily updates on how we make children’s parties magical, as well as our best work from home strategies for busy moms.
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