As January rapidly approaches, you may start to look back and wonder what you’ve achieved over this part trip around our solar system.
If you’re struggling to compile a list of what that looks like, you’re not alone.
We often begin the New Year with a heap of hopes, enthusiasm, resolutions and goals. We promise this will be the year we achieve everything we’ve popped on our list. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this, but the new year brings a lot of pressure to change without any real thought behind just how difficult any kind of change can be.
As we enter 2023, instead of putting pressure on yourself to reach unattainable goals, ensure you’re thinking about them in the right ways to motivate you towards success.
We’ve put together our top five tips that are easy to action and will definitely help!
5 Ways to Reboot Your New Year
Some of these tips might work for you; some might not – use them as a guideline and see what comes out of it.
You can adapt these to work for any change you might be trying to implement:
1.Break it down into smaller, achievable goals
It’s great to have grandiose ideas of what you want to accomplish with the new year, but only keeping your eyes on the final prize means you’ll miss out on the small wins you achieve along the way.
Try breaking your goals into 12 parts – one for each month – and put these into the order you’d like to achieve them. It’s good to keep this flexible as you never know what opportunities will come your way, but this structure means you’ll have manageable monthly goals to work towards that should all culminate in achieving your bigger picture.
When you do look back at the end of the month will also help you realise that you’ve achieved more than you think while still working towards the end goal.Â
2. Create a realistic timeframeÂ
One of the core reasons we often fail to achieve our goals is that we create unrealistic time frames to achieve them.
When looking for a new job, we do everything we’re supposed to do – update the CV, tidy up the social media, brush up on our interview technique, send out application after application – and expect immediate results. It’s hard to maintain our motivation when this doesn’t happen.
When planning for a change or new goal, make sure you consider what a realistic timeframe is. If you achieve it sooner – great! That’s a fresh hit of motivation to keep going.
3. Resources, resources, resources!
Really think about what you need to help you achieve positive results and keep you on track. A few areas to consider:
- Practical things like diary planners, stationery, or software to support your goal
- Websites and/or social media pages that inspire, motivate and inform you
- Networking groups or organisations relevant to your field/interest (on and offline)
- A professional mentor
- Books or literature to build your knowledge
- Support with family life
It’s easy to scoop up as many resources as possible without really discerning if ihelpfuleful. Make sure you apply a critical eye and don’t spend too much energy on something that doesn’t add value or help you move towards achieving your goal. It’s okay to say ‘no thanks’ if it’s not for you.
4. Be brave and take the plunge
Starting anything new can feel scary, and when it scares us, we might find we put off actually taking the steps needed to achieve it. When you’re just starting to look for your first job, this might mean spending hours crafting the perfect resume or job application – and then not sending it in on time. Talk about self-sabotage!
Don’t get too wrapped up in the process and end up procrastinating or avoiding taking meaningful steps forward.
5. Don’t beat yourself up
You will no doubt know it by now: failure is a part of any game. Sure, you might get knocked back or fall out of sync with your carefully planned 12-step path to achieving ‘The Goal’ – and that’s okay.
The great thing about this process is that you can hit the reboot button at any point – not just at the beginning of a new year!
Don’t beat yourself up if you have to take a step btor to take three forward. If it’s all helping you move forward in proactive and positive ways towards the things you want in life, it doesn’t matter how long that takes.
Remember: just because something isn’t happening for you right now doesn’t mean it never will. Stay focused.
You got this!
