Okay so we’re already more than a week into 2017! How crazy is that?!  How’s it going so far? Did you set some New Year’s resolutions? Are you sticking to them?

For me, I try to set goals year-round so I don’t necessarily set New Year’s resolutions but I do make new goals for the year ahead and for the months ahead.

A lot of people tend to set New Year’s resolutions and go hard for the first few weeks and then slowly drop off…DON’T BE THAT PERSON! I can’t let you be that person! Remember that you have to stay consistent and work for the goals you set. You can’t just set them and forget them and hope that they’ll just magically happen. I have some tips and tricks that I use to help me stay consistent with my goals and hopefully they’ll help you too! Here are my top tips and tricks:

1. Make sure that your WHY is strong. Why do you want to reach this goal? Is your reason strong enough to make you follow through? If you haven’t already, sit down and write out exactly WHY you want to and MUST reach the goals that you’ve set. Write as many reasons as you can possibly think of and really put some emotion into it. Think outside of yourself and include all of the people in your life who will also benefit from you reaching this goal. Get specific and make your WHY really rock solid.  

2. Don’t do it all at once. Once you set your goals, it’s really easy to get so excited that you just want to jump full-force into it all of it RIGHT NOW. Try to resist this urge! It’s a huge mistake and will just leave you feeling burned out and disappointed. Take baby steps towards your goal and realize that it will take time, but you definitely don’t want to burn out before you even really get started. Set mini goals for each day and continue to take a step forward. Know that you’re on your way.

3. Find a way to enjoy the task. Whatever your goal involves you’ll improve your chances of reaching it if you can find a way to make it enjoyable. Do you really want to do something that you don’t like? Exactly. You probably will find other things to fill your time if you really don’t enjoy it. Find a way to enjoy it and get excited about showing up!

4. Schedule it like any other appointment. Schedule time for your goal just like you would a doctor’s appointment or any other important event. Make it a part of your schedule and stick to it. Otherwise, if you don’t set aside time, other things will grab your attention and before you know it the day will be over and you will be in the same spot. Set the time and then stick to it.

5. Fake it ‘til you make it. At first it’ll probably feel hard and unfamiliar and that’s totally normal. But do what you have to to just get started and to keep you moving forward. Act like you’ve already reached your goal and see it clearly in your mind. How will you feel, act, and carry yourself once you’ve reached that goal? Start seeing it and feeling it now and keep coming back to this practice.   

6. Don’t let detours become roadblocks. If something’s not working, change courses but don’t change the goal and don’t stop moving forward. If you find out that what you’re doing isn’t working, take a minute to come up with a new plan. Maybe talk to some friends about it. Set up a new path, and then keep moving forward.  

7. Just start. This is seriously the hardest part for most people and while it’s easier said than done, you really just have to make it happen. Just start. Even if it’s a small step, just take that step forward and get the momentum going. Once you get started, it’s easier to keep moving forward but you just have to take that first step. 

Are there any other tips that you use to help stay consistent with your goals? I’d love to hear them! Let me know in the comments below.

Here’s to a happy, healthy, and AH-MAZING 2017!

The year of making it happen!

Until next time,

Xoxo

Ashley