Before You Make Your First New Year’s Resolution…

Look at old ones, and re-evaluate why you failed those.

  • Did you fail because of your fear?
  • Are you lacking the resources to accomplishing your goals?
  • Or did you make a half-hearted decision?
  • What action step can you take towards taking control of the process to achieving these goals?

Don’t fail again with regards to the same mistake.

Or if you do fail, make it towards a new goal.

Review Your Old Goals

Before the New Year…

Many make resolutions to ride the momentum along with the new year, whether they have goals fiscally, physically, professionally, or otherwise.

With that in mind, many have made or will be making personal resolutions towards creating a healthier and fitter physique for themselves. However, I will be reviewing this topic with a renewed interest, as the topic of inducing fat loss seems fairly straightforward – reduce the negative foods, improve holistic nutrition, and reinforce positive behavior before promoting negative habits (don’t do this, don’t do that, you’re doing it wrong, etc.).

One idea I’d love to harp on is the idea of looking at your past habits, and learning from your mistakes. This has the dual benefit of reflecting on your past actions, along with analyzing your current habits to further promote the end goal desired.

If you failed to gain strength, what were the obstacles that stopped you?

If you failed to lose fat, what were the obstacles that stopped you?

Make mistakes, but learn from them.

I’m all about making mistakes. I’m not the smartest person to roam the planet, and I’m fallible like anyone else. But, when I make mistakes, I do my damnedest to not make the same mistake twice. Otherwise, it is my fault, and in essence I haven’t evolved, learned, or changed anything. I remain stagnant.

Set expectations.

And achieve them by any means necessary.

Many clients of mine talk with me with the expectations that I’m always on the straight and narrow with regards to nutrition and exercise. This notion couldn’t be further from the truth. I enjoy food, but I know how to reign it in when necessary for a health or even aesthetic goal.  My strength is at an all time high, and I’m happy with where I am physique-wise. I don’t intend on losing 30lbs anytime for physique nor competitive purposes anytime in the near future.

Notice I did not say set low nor high expectations. Just set them. Make a plan of action, and exhaust every option. Then reach those goals by any means necessary. Then set new expectations. While I do understand the idea that reaching a goal is an emotional rollercoaster, it is different than describing the process of reaching a goal.

I need to make a distinction right here right now between the two. If you reach a dream goal of yours, or totally unrealistic goal, by all means I want you to be happy and ecstatic about reaching it.

But during the process of reaching towards that goal everyday, you should not be at the mercy of your emotions. You will have ups, you will have downs. But if you persist in the face of adversity and display patience, you will succeed.

Keep yourself accountable.

Doug funny

Whether you like using pen and paper, or using a blog to write your thoughts down, the idea is the same. Keep a journal entry of your emotions, thoughts, and actions of the day/week/month for later reflection.

This is an action that I’ve used with regards to nutrition and exercise goals to great success, as it allows me to look back at my most troubling of times, see where I’ve faltered, and likewise view where I’ve had my greatest successes. I personally use Fitocracy and fill out the sheet via the mobile app to keep track of my lifts. It keeps me accountable, along with being able to look back and reflect on past lifts.

Utilize the thought process of reflecting on past goals that weren’t achieved in 2013, and adjust or steer your course until you arrive at your goal.

And remember, as we enter 2014…

Keep it funky.

MA

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *