As the new year approaches, have your thoughts turned to setting New Year’s resolutions? As someone whose life is centered around helping others create change, I find January to be the most exciting time of the year. It’s time to wipe the slate clean and start anew. It’s time to leave the old and turn your thoughts to creating change. If you’ve set resolutions in the past, only to find your enthusiasm fading a few days into January, there are simple things you can do to make this year different.
Following are techniques you can use to transform your resolutions into realities. These strategies are things you can do on your own and they’re also built into simplify 101’s online workshops. I hope you enjoy reading about these ideas, but most of all, I hope you use them to create exciting, positive change in your life in the months ahead! Here’s how to do it.
Tap into what you really want.
Is your typical resolution list a list of things you should do instead of a list of things you want to do? Give yourself permission to dream about what you truly want. Maybe you’ve grown tired of the clutter in your home, or the stress of the morning routine as you and your family race around looking for homework papers, backpacks or something clean to wear. Or perhaps you keeping wishing for a new job, or you dream about eating healthier, getting in shape or going on a tropical vacation.
Regardless of the nature of your dream, the first step in making your resolutions a reality is to listen to those little whispers (or loud shouts) that are telling you what you really want. Capture those dreams in a journal or simply jot them down on a piece of paper.
simplify 101’s online workshops include worksheets and exercises to help you become crystal clear about your goals for the workshop and the changes you want to make in your home and life. I share a simple formula you can use to create an ultra-compelling goal statement that motivates you to take steps forward.
Focus on fewer things to create more lasting results.
If your New Year’s resolution list typically looks like a laundry list of every single thing you’d like to change about yourself and your life, try a new approach this year. Focus on just one or two meaningful changes. You’ll create results more quickly and those results are more likely to stick. Last year, for example, I started the year by adding just one more workout session to my weekly routine. And guess what—I’m still doing it! If you start to want to do it all now, say this mantra to yourself: Fewer things. More results.
Our online workshops are designed to help you stay focused on fewer things, so you create lasting results. In Organizing 101, you start with one small organizing project—so you’re certain to start and finish during the course of the workshop, and then you put together a plan for tackling the rest of your projects—one at a time.
Decide to do it!
Once you’ve created a list of things you want, the next step is to decide that you’re going to do it! Deciding is the difference between saying “I wish I was more organized” and “I am getting more organized!” Once you’ve decided to do it, cement your decision by doing something that shows your commitment. Tell a friend about your resolution. Or join a simplify 101 workshop and share your decision with me and the online community. By deciding, and then going public with your decision, you’ll motivate yourself to take action.
Give yourself permission to ask for help.
As someone who is very independent, I know this one is tough. But asking for help is truly an empowering thing to do. So if you don’t have all the answers about how to accomplish your goal, or there’s something that you know for sure is standing in your way, reach out for the resources, ideas and people you need to get moving. Help can come in many forms. You could research ideas online, read a book, take a class, ask a friend for help, or work with a coach or mentor. Regardless of the form of assistance you choose, you will get where you want to be more quickly and you’ll enjoy the process more, too. Last year’s goal to start a new weekly exercise class is a terrific example. My instructor inspired me to work harder than I ever would have worked while exercising at home alone, and as a result, I felt better and got in better shape much faster than I would have on my own.
simplify 101’s online workshops include great information AND access to the expert who created the content. This means you’ll get answers to your questions, stay motivated, and achieve your goals!
Take action now!
Here’s another mantra for you: Action creates change! So the sooner you begin taking steps in the direction of your goal, the sooner you’ll cross the finish line! So why not start right now? You don’t have to figure out every single detail before you get started. Instead, figure out one or two steps you could take, and then just take them. As you move forward, you’ll create momentum and enthusiasm, which means all the steps to come become easier and easier to take. Believe me, the hardest workout class I went to in 2011 was the very first one. (I was sore for four days!) Every single class after that was easier, because I had the confidence that I could do it! As you take action, you’ll gain confidence, and the next steps forward will become easier and easier to see and accomplish.
simplify 101’s online workshops are designed to make it simple to take action! Every workshop includes straightforward action steps you can take right away, as soon as you’re finished reading each lesson. Plus you can share your progress with the online community, which means you’ll feel accountable to move forward, and you’ll be inspired by what your classmates are doing, too.
Build your goal into your schedule.
Regardless of the goal you’re going after, you’ll be (much, much!) more likely to achieve it if you make it a part of your regular routine. Decide when you will work on your organizing projects, or go to the gym or search for that new, fulfilling job. When I think about my new exercise habit, there are many reasons I was able to make this change stick. But one of the biggies is that I found a way to fit fitness into my schedule. My workout class happened to be at exactly the same time as my daughter’s Saturday Taekwondo class, which meant it was simple to fit the class into my regular routine. As you consider the changes you’d like to make in 2012—whether it’s to get more organized or go after another goal—carve out time in your schedule to make it happen.
Our online workshops always fit your schedule. You don’t have to be online at any set time to take a simplify 101 workshop. Instead, once a lesson is released, you can log in and access the lesson materials any time that works for you—day or night!
So there you have it, six simple and effective techniques you can use to transform your resolutions into realities in 2012! I wish you the happiest of new years and much success on your journey to your goals.
