Acknowledge Yourself
A fresh New Year is here, full of Unlimited possibilities. We usually start out with eager determination to make it the best year ever; setting resolutions and goals to accomplish. But then it happens…, we miss one of our goals…, then a second…; then we begin to beat ourselves up. We become tempted to just give up and abandon our Resolutions and Goals.
So how do we stay on course? How do we not get disappointed with ourselves as we have a hiccup with one of our resolutions or goals?
The key is what we focus on. What we tend to do when we don’t do what we set out to do, is focus on what we didn’t do. And as you just read that, you first thought was probably… DUH! : ) But focusing on what we didn’t do is a negative energy. It drags us down, and makes it harder to keep moving forward in accomplishing what we set out to do. It can potentially sabotage our efforts altogether. What we forget or overlook is that most, if not all of the time, we actually have made a lot of progress towards accomplishing our goals and resolutions.
Focus on what you did accomplish, not on what you did not accomplish. Focus on what you did do, not on what you did not do.
For example: Let’s say you set a goal to exercise 5 days a week, and you only exercised 2 days. Don’t focus on the 3 days you did not exercise, or tell yourself, “I ‘only’ exercised 2 days.” Focus on the fact that you were able to Accomplish 2 days of exercising! As you Acknowledge Yourself by focusing positively on the 2 days you did exercise, you will be naturally inspired and energized to keep moving towards your goal of 5 days.
When we set a goal or resolution, it is important to be realistic with ourselves. Part of the process in any journey is preparing for certain setbacks. Acknowledging that we may have a hiccup…, or two…, or three…, will keep us from beating ourselves up too bad when it happens. This understanding will then allow us to keep our focus on what we did do, the progress we have made, and what we have accomplished so far.
What we tend to forget is that we set goals and resolutions to do something that we are not currently doing, to step out of our comfort zone and improve ourselves. If it was easy, there would be no need to set goals or resolutions.
Dedicate the Month of January To keep focused on your accomplishments, no matter how big or small, and Acknowledge Yourself for having them!
Smile, Wade