5 Steps to Achieve Your Goals for the New Year

Yesterday’s post focused on looking back and assessing how you have done with your New Year’s goals so far. Today as promised are 5 steps that will help you continue to make progress on your goals for the New Year.

1. Set your intentions. Be specific, write them down, and share with others. Post in places where you can remind yourself on a daily basis what you are working towards. Write out WHY you want to reach your goals. What motivates you? Consider making a vision board or vision book to help keep you focused.

2. Know that any goal worth achieving takes work. There is no magic pill or potion to lose weight…if there was, Oprah would have found it J. Dreaming about crossing the finish line will not get you there unless you put in the work on a daily basis. Talking about how bad you feel, tired you are, or unhappy you are with your body and current state of health will not change anything. However, taking daily action steps, eating more whole foods, decreasing portion sizes, drinking more water, and reducing the sugar and alcohol in your diet will improve your health and energy. Take small steps daily. Acknowledge that change will take work and time. Be patient with yourself but also find some way to track, acknowledge, and reward your progress.

3. Be grateful for what you do have and what you can do. On your journey to better health and well-being, take time every day to state at least one thing you are grateful for. It can be something you have, something your body has done for you, or someone who is in your life. It is all too easy to fall into the trap of always wanting more, and while wanting to better yourself can be a good thing, it is also important to appreciate and love what you have. Find gratitude in the little things every day.

4. Help others reach their goals. This may seem different than any other advice you have heard, but there is so much power in this action step. Firs, implement steps 1-3. After your intentions have been set, you are willing to do the work, and you express daily gratitude—it is time to step outside of yourself and see who else you can help. We are all looking for something out of life, and believe it or not, it is not the same thing! We may want similar things, but we each have unique goals and motivation behind our goals. If you take the time out to help someone else reach their goals, it is almost guaranteed that somewhere along the way someone else will help you reach your goals. Part of paying it forward is making the world a better place; step outside of yourself and your problems and help someone else in need.

5. Believe in yourself and surround yourself with people who believe in you and want to see you succeed. Step away from the “naysayer”—the people who boohoo your dreams and sabotage your weight loss efforts. If these people are real close to you (for example a spouse or parent) then have an honest talk with them. This may be where you need to go back to #4—see where you can help them reach their goal. Become your own biggest fan. Write down the good in you, write out what makes you unique and special. Know that you deserve to reach your goals and feel your best. Believe you can do whatever you put your mind to.

I hope these tips will help you move forward to achieve every goal you set out for yourself in 2013.

How have you been doing on your goals so far?