Hopefully by now you have written some of your goals for 2015 and established a real vision for why these goals are so important to you.
Excellent!
Now we need to set your action plans so that you’re in a really strong position to drive yourself forwards towards a truly successful 2015.
WARNING – you will need plenty of paper for this!
Stage 1
This is where you can start to get creative with mind maps and coloured pens, pictures if you wanted to; or you can stick to a list to begin with. One thing is for sure, you will need a separate sheet of paper for each goal.
To watch the mind mapping exercise click the following link
If you remember from Part 1 of Happy New Year, I gave you can example of Michelle who wanted to lose weight and be 10 stone. The perfect start for Michelle would be to find a picture of herself when she was the weight she wants to be and stick that in the centre of the page with her goal. Another example might be if you want to be living a stress free life. Again look for a picture of yourself when you felt relaxed, happy, in control, content or fulfilled. If this is difficult to find then a picture that represents this for you and again stick it in the centre of the page.
Now let’s get to work. You know your strengths because you will have recorded them already.
Around your goal, in coloured pens, write subheadings of all the different ways you could reach your goal. Michelle might write:
- Diet
- Learn to cook – Cook books/ Cooking classes/ Ask a friend/ Experiment/ Make it fun – When?
- Learn more about food group – Look up information/ Watch informative programmes/ You Tube clips – When?
- Eating regime – Set meal times/ Eat earlier in the evening/ Get partner on board – When?
- Portion control– Check portion sizes/ Sit at the table to eat – When?
- Shopping habits – Make a list to take/ Stick to the list/ Don’t buy treats/ Go shopping just after eating/ Get partner to go shopping/ Make up weekly menu in advance – When?
- Fitness
- Join gym – Look at different gyms/ Find out prices/ Facilities – When?
- Activities – Classes/ Swimming/ Dancing/ Tennis – When?
- Walk everyday – Distance/ Time – When?
- Get a dog – Borrow a dog/ Buy one/ Go to the dogs home – When?
- Get a personal trainer – Look at costs/ When to fit in/ How many sessions – When?
- Set up a regime – Start date/ Quantity per day/week – When?
- Go to classes – Look at classes available/ Class times/ Cost of classes – When?
- Find a gym partner – Friends/ Work colleagues/ Partner/ Neighbours – When?
- Join a slimming club – Locations/ Costs/ Times/ Fit for my purpose – When?
Stage 2
- Support
The right support network is a vital part of creating the right state of mind for you to achieve. We all know people who are negative and can easily put doubt in our minds. Therefore, look for the support network that is going to give you positive support, be open and honest with you and give you constructive criticism when you need it.
- Friends
- Family
- Dietician
- Partner
- Kids
- Work mates
- Gym staff
- Magazines/ Books/ Websites
Stage 3
- Barriers
When setting out to achieve a new goal nobody likes to look at possible barriers to your achievement. However, it is good to be realistic and think about this in advance so that you’re in a better position to be able to see them approaching and steer yourself around them. When you’re so caught up in what you’re doing, sometimes it can be difficult to see them coming. For example, when you’re out walking you’re not just looking one step in front of you, you’re looking ahead to see what’s around you and what’s approaching. You do this so that you can gauge your path, to give yourself thinking and planning time to avoid the obstacles. I’m sure we’ve all done it sometime in our lives: you’re walking along in deep thought, looking down at the ground and before you know it you’ve walked straight in to lamppost. Yes I’ve done it, and boy did I feel an idiot but had to laugh at my stupidity. If you’re one of the lucky ones who haven’t I bet you laughed when you witnessed it.
Back to the business of barriers then. This is where you need to be honest with yourself because it might not just be about other things and people, it might be you need to challenge your own thought processes.
What could get in the way of you reaching your dream?
- Working hours
- Money
- Family issues
- Children’s hobbies
- Partner’s lack of support
- Time management
- Skills and abilities
- Past failures
- Self-belief
- Commitment levels
Doubts about our abilities (and relapse) are natural and we all have them. The key is how to challenge them and overcome them, not to beat yourself up over them. This is why you need a clear vision of what you want to achieve and a strong support network to help you get back up and continue working towards your dreams and reach that goal you have been working so hard to achieve.
You can do it!
I know you can!
Believe in yourself!
This blog has been brought to you by;
Cath Lloyd
Your Stress Management Consultant
To help you make the change from stress to success.
www.cathlloyd.co.uk
