I find this time of year hard. The internet is awash with people imparting their inspirational wisdom and top tips for helping you get more in your life of whatever it is you may feel you are missing. More healthy living habits, mindfulness, learning, career progression, fitness…. The list goes on.
But what if despite all the advice out there you don’t have a perfect list of goals to smash out 2017, or are struggling with motivation and all the pressure is making you feel a bit anxious? Don’t worry, you are not alone! I feel exactly the same, yet I am not anxious about it and I want to explain why.
I know I am a highly motivated and driven person. I don’t need January to come round to get my act into gear. I don’t have everything 100% worked out for 2017, but that’s ok! I’m going into this year with a positive and robust mindset and I’m unbelievably excited about what’s in store. For me, that is enough.
I personally think it is crazy that we place such HUGE pressures and expectations on ourselves in January. This leads to many people giving up on their goals and resolutions by mid Feb!
My mission is to help you make positive changes that have a lasting impact on your life, not just for a few weeks.
Here’s why I think Jan is so hard and my two pennies worth about change:
1. January is the hardest month of the year to feel motivated. It’s cold and dark. We are detoxing after over indulging over the holidays, which really affects general motivation and energy levels.
2. Goals are often created from an idolised image of perfection, not what really matters to us. Before you even think about what you want to achieve or do, you have to understand WHY that is important to you. If you don’t know why you want to change something about your life, sadly you will risk becoming one of the many people who’s motivation for the goals they set has completely dropped off in a few months.
3. Don’t try to go from zero to hero. I say this ALL THE TIME. I am a massive fan of the overall concept of going from zero to hero. I consistently champion the idea that anyone can achieve zero to hero epicness in their lives. BUT what I really struggle with is when I hear people say things like “I’m going to go on a health kick in Jan. I’m going to stop drinking, go on a diet and workout at the gym three times a week.”
These goals have often been created from the type of person you’d like to be without thinking about why you weren’t doing that last year, how much hard work will go into change on this scale and how important it really is for you to change in that way. Please don’t set yourself up for failure by trying to go from zero to hero and putting so much pressure on yourself. You need to put in the leg work, make small changes each day that help you feel positive and confident and everything else will flow.
4. Just because it’s January does not mean we are naturally going to be motivated to change. Pick your battles and don’t try to change everything at the same time. Spend some time really digging beneath the surface, work out what is the most important area of your life to change and focus on that. Just one!
5. Change is incredibly hard and I don’t feel it’s given the respect it needs to actually flourish at this time of year. We are creatures of habit, if we want to change something, as in truly change, we cannot expect immediate results. We need to put the work in and be prepared to weather the storm on the journey to reaching our milestone. The journey is the best part!
6. Social media can be a downfall in Jan. I think pressure is a good thing, and I also think social media can be inspiring. Yet each of us has a responsibility to OURSELVES to filter both of these and make sure that we don’t let a snapshot of someone else’s life make us feel bad about ours. Use social media as an inspiration, use it to motivate you to achieve greatness, but don’t let it affect what you know to be true about who you are. You are amazing and unique. The purpose of having goals and people who inspire you is to help you shine and flourish, not dampen your spirit.
7. Most people’s goals are not big enough to inspire change. Dream big y’all and just go for it!
I want nothing more than for you to have the best year ever. But that’s my next blog…! For now, I just wanted to offer support to anyone who might be finding this time of year and all the pressure of goals and having your s**t together a bit challenging. We’re in this together the whole way. Stay tuned!
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