Five tips for bringing in the New Year with purpose

Happy New Year! The changing of the year marks a fresh start…a new beginning. It is another chance to improve and grow. But, what often happens is we start the New Year with an optimistic frame of mind and a renewed sense of purpose, and as we get into the hustle and bustle of life, nothing ends up changing.

How do you begin to incorporate some new routines into your life and actually make them stick? It’s not easy unless you have a plan. According to the Journal of Clinical Psychology, 22 per cent of people who try to make changes to their lives like New Year’s resolutions fall off the wagon after a week of setting the goals. And after three months, half the adults surveyed had called it quits.

After reading that statistic, if you feel like the odds are stacked against you to really achieve new goals in your life, don’t. It is totally possible to set your intention and attention to something new, either at work or at home and make it successful.

As a leadership coach, I work with a lot of people who want to see changes in their lives and we make things happen for these people. It all comes down to a few steps that you need to apply in your life consistently. Here are a few of my tips on how to make 2013 the year you achieve new heights!

1. Start now. Envision yourself as a runner at the starter’s block ready to take off and do it! Right now you have the advantage of having a new perspective of a clean slate just by starting a new year. If you were able to take some vacation time over the holidays, your batteries will be recharged and you are likely feeling energized. So now is the time to take action (not just plan for) your new goals. Once this ‘pumped up’ feeling subsides, it will be more difficult to achieve your goal. You have a window of opportunity now where motivation levels are high. Make it happen!
2. Start small. Pick one to three things MAXIMUM that you want to achieve. This is the time of year that I have the highest number of new clients sign up for my coaching programs. What I find is that they come to me with a list of 20 things they want to achieve. I appreciate the desire to aim high, but it is more productive to put greater focus on fewer goals.
3. Celebrate. I think business professionals can learn a lot from athletes. We often see athletes celebrate immediately after the victory. But as executives, when we get a slam dunk on a project at work, we tend to skip over the celebration so we can get working on that next project. I encourage you to take the time to celebrate both your own accomplishments by doing something fun for yourself or with your family and also celebrate with your team at work when they do a great job.
4. Visualize your life as if you have already achieved your goals. Again, I will go back to athletes here. Athletes are masters of visualization. They know it really works. My clients are often surprised at the onset to see how powerful visualization is for really making them more successful and happy. No doubt about it, visualization works. Some tips for visualizing to achieve your goals include being as specific as possible. Think about it. What do you want to achieve right now? What would it (you) look like? What would it feel like? If you want a promotion, think about what it would feel like to be sitting in your boss’ chair. The more you can visualize it, the more likely it will become your new reality.
5. Work with a coach, someone who will help keep your goals up front and centre. A professional can also help you uncover issues that could be holding you back from achieving your goals. All successful athletes and business professionals need a coach.