8 ways to revive your flagging resolutions

As February approaches are you beginning to feel that the New Year, New You is rapidly sliding back to the old year, old you?  Are those best intentions and resolutions for the New Year beginning to fade into the past.  Are you feeling frustrated and a bit disappointed in yourself at how easily you are sidetracked from those dearly held improvements that you'd like to change?  I certainly am. 

And I've worked out some tips to help.  Although I've put it at the bottom of the list, one of my most important tips is to be good to myself which is why, this year, I've put self care at the top of my list.  I'm rewarding myself with Reflexology and Indian Head Massage treatments because when you're expending a lot of energy in pursuing goals, it's important to get some back.  So, here are some tips to help you get back on track:

1. Understand the "WHY" of what you want: why are you doing it?  What's in it for you?  What's the benefit?  If you focus on what you need to do and forget about why you're more likely to fail.  The "why" is the motivation, the driver, the emotional bit of it, so hang on to your "why" to give your goal real energy (as long as your "why" is something you actually want and not something you think you "should" have - there's no positive energy in "should").
2. Be authentic.  Ask yourself how your goal will cause you to feel good about yourself and how it will align with WHO you are, your values and your life goals.  It's much easier to keep going when things get tough if you feel that your goal is in alignment with who you are and where you want to go.
3. Pick one thing to focus on.  Too many goals can be distracting and it can cause you to lose your focus.  If you have only one point of focus it's easier to prioritise and find the time to make your goal a reality.
4. Involve others to give your goal extra energy.  Seldom is anything worthwhile done alone.  Goals need a constant supply of energy to feed them, so others can help motivate you and give you the energy and enthusiasm you need to reach your goal.  Even if those others are not directly involved in your goal, it helps to have some supporters on the sideline cheering you on.
5. Be realistic when setting your goal.  Double the time and half the results that you expect to get.  That way you'll over-achieve (motivating) rather than under-achieve (demotivating).  Managing your expectations and over-achieving is an excellent way to find the energy and motivation to keep going.
6. Be specific, be very specific about how you are going to achieve your goal.  If you have break your goal down into very small, very specific actions you're much more likely to achieve them.  Small specific actions that can be done without thought and can be easily scheduled into a daily routine are much more likely to be achieved than larger chunks that need you to think about how to do it and consist of more than one step.
7. Be prepared for setbacks.  Have a plan for what happens when your plan fails.  Think in advance about how you will motivate yourself and get back on track.  If you already know about the obstacles, list them and have a strategy and specific actions for dealing with them.
8. Take care of yourself.  The more energy you expend pursuing your goals, the more important it is to get some back.  Energy needs to circulate, so you need to get back as well as give out - after all, the tide doesn't just go out and out and out, it comes back in as well.  So turn the tide of your energy expenditure by going for a treatment - whatever that might be for you.  Reflexology and Indian Head Massage are both very relaxing and restorative and help balance the body's energy systems, giving you time to pause and restore yourself.

To book an appointment email doriswylie@btinternet.com or call Doris on 07724 197627.

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