Here's a Solution...Forget Those 2015 Resolutions!

Keep it simple and attainable...don't forget the fun!

EVERY year, millions of people make new year's resolutions. I don't know about you, but after a week or two, I've usually dropped the ball. Who wants to wait another year? Or another week to start over? What are your resolutions? Ones you have had before?

Here are the usual 10 Ten New Years Resolutions:

1. Lose weight
2. Volunteer
3. Quit smoking
4. Get a better education
5. Get a better job
6. Save money
7. Get fit
8. Eat healthy food
9. Manage stress
10. Manage debt

Look familiar? What resolutions have your already made and broken? It's inevitable...and research shows it's impossible to maintain a year long resolution.

Here's why and what you can do.

• Goals are more successful (than resolutions)- In the 1960s, Dr. Edwin Locke was the pioneer of research in goal setting. He developed his research with Dr. Gary Latham and uncovered that to set goals, there must be certain elements. They identified these as: 

• Clarity--do you know clearly what your goal is? Often times we make our goals so complicated, Superman couldn't achieve them.
• Challenge--does the challenge motivate and excite you? This is key. Don't set a boring goal, set one that inspires you.
• Commitment--how will you stay true to the end prize? What roadblocks do you predict, how will you get past those?
• Feedback--HUGE piece. How will you know you are on track, off key? Technology can help you keep on target. There are all kinds of apps out there to help you manage your goal; from health, fitness logs to money managing forms and food diaries...just as examples.
• Task complexity--this is probably the most important. What to do when you think your goal is too hard or stressful. If it really is too complex, go back and re-work your goal, create a new or similar one. Maybe in stead of trying to get to the gym everyday, you shoot for 3 times a week. Instead of trying save 1/2 your paycheck, you save 25% to start. 

What treadmills tend to look like by the end of January.

• Keep your goals to yourself- According to research, once you verbalize what your goals/resolutions are, you are less likely to achieve them. People tend to get a thrill from saying something like, "Hey everyone, I am going to loose 25 pounds this year!"  It's called social reality where your mind is actually tricked into thinking it has been done. Participants in the study who did not share their goals spent more time on task and when time ran out they still felt like they work to do. Therefore, keep it to yourself!

• Dig deep- What is it that YOU really want to accomplish? Take a step back from what you think others want, what is it that will keep you centered and moving forward to be the best you can be for yourself, which will then have a positive impact on those are affected by who are you and what you do. So many times, we worry about what others want for us, or want us to do. We need to dig deep and find out what will keep us happy and healthy.

• Rely on a little help from your friends- Including your friends on meeting up to workout with you, or to give you advice on how to manage your goals in general, can be incredibly helpful. You don't have to tell them what your goal(s) is/are, but just ask how they have achieved something they worked for in their own lives. We all have friends with different types of talents who can give insight on how they get things done. Friends have helpful tips, habits, websites, apps that they use and do which they can share their firsthand experience. If you need to be directed to some helpful apps and websites, please ask me, I'll be your friend.

It's ok to make mistakes, just don't reward yourself with a donut or Duff beer.

• Keep a journal- Even if you don't enjoy writing, keeping a journal can change your life. A psychiatric study showed that spending 15-20 minutes on 3-5 occasions expressively writing can have profound physical and psychological benefits. Even better, no one is grading it! Experts suggest keeping your writing as simple as you wish, as you begin. From there, you can get more detailed and lengthy as time goes on. Journal writing also has other benefits such as inspiring creativity (yes, everyone is creative in some way, shape or form), increasing your writing skills, and keeps a record of your own mistakes and successes. Why would you want to document your mistakes? So you can learn from them. Nothing wrong with making mistakes, they help you discover who you are and teach you valuable lessons.

JUST DO IT

YOU CAN DO IT

Listen to The Script break it down: "don't wait for luck...dedicate yourself and go find yourself"

Just Do It: Because No One Should Do It For You

Why is this slogan so popular?
Because it's true.

You know what I am talking about. We have all been guilty of just doing something for someone else, instead of them doing it. Sometimes, it's just easier...quicker.

What about you? What do you want to do? What do you want to achieve?

Why don't YOU just do it?

YOU ARE THE MAN, OR WOMAN

Do you know how special you are? Number one goal in the courses I teach, increase the confidence level of each student in that content area. Number.one.goal. Why? We can't achieve and sustain success without self-confidence. What's on your "just do it" list? Find a way to boost your confidence in an area you want to excel in--start small then build off of that. Everyone has a gift. Everyone can do something, every day...no matter how big, no matter how small. Never underestimate yourself. Many times you are planting seeds, seeds you may not see sprout right away. Take care of them and you will see growth. Or if you are like me and don't have a green thumb, plant more! Keep trying, eventually you will sow great things.


YOU CAN DO IT

There is the need for encouragement. It's true, we all need to feel loved. I don't care who you are, we are human.  We need to feel as though there is someone out there who's got our back. If you see someone struggling to achieve, give 'em a boost. Send a text, share a motivational website, give them a hug, or sincerely say, "you've got this."  If you are the one struggling, find that someone who can will be your cheerleader.  No one achieves success alone. It's those supportive ones along the way that get us to where we need to be.


JUST DO IT, ALREADY

Some tips people have shared with me when I was ready to throw in the towel:

• Enough with the excuses.  If you need help, ask. It doesn't mean you expect anyone to do the work for you, but often times you need some good advice on how to get through, over, and beyond that roadblock keeping you from achieving your goal. And stop saying, "I don't have time." No one has time. We live in a world where everyone seems to be overextended and in a rush. I have to constantly work on "slowing it down." Stop and do it!  Whatever 'it' is: new hobby, new skill,  new job, new way to be healthy, new idea you want to try.

• I'll start on Monday. If you have a bad day, commit yourself to tomorrow: Don't be that person, "I'll try again on Monday (when it's Wednesday)." Nope. You have tomorrow, make it happen. Do you have a student, child, friend, or maybe yourself who is having a hard time getting it done? Give yourself a positive pep talk (see video below to get started). Keep your goal(s) specific and attainable, otherwise it can be overwhelming. Blaming and feeling sorry for yourself is sometimes necessary, but you gotta get it together and get going.

• Don't do things for others,  have them do it themselves.   Helping someone does not mean you have to take over whatever it is that they need or want to accomplish. For example,  teaching technology lends itself for the helper to become the doer. Therefore, we do a lot of role playing in my tech courses. If someone is helping someone else, the helper sits to the side and the doer sits with the technology device in front of them. The helper is encouraged to use their words and not take over the device. We talk about the importance of  encouraging others to listen when someone is helping them. I actually have some of my students sit on their hands when helping others so they don't take over the mouse or iPad! Remember- It's their deal, their journey, their 'it'. Encourage them to see it as a way to grow as a person, keep life interesting and enjoy what happens along the way. 

• Inspire others: One reason why should you go for it? Because people are watching.  Big people and little people. The big people that care wanna see you achieve (your boss, your friends, your family). But I want to talk about the little people. They are watching you, whether you want them to or not. Whether you are a parent or not.  We want to avoid raising kids who are enabled and a new generation that gives up when the going gets tough. We want to show them that risk-taking is part of life, failure is part of life, hard work is part of life, trying again is part of life. It's not easy, but you can do it and they need to see you do it.

“Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.” 

Theodore Roosevelt

 Make your "it" yours and just do it.
Do it and do it well.

Pep talk time from Kid President, he knows what I'm talking about.
(one of my fav videos, take 3 min and watch it--DO IT!)