How to Take Small Bites to Create the Life You Want in 2022
We all have at least one New Year resolution that we want to cross off the list each year. But then life happens, we get distracted, and we’re right back where we started at the beginning of January.
The goal is to reach the end of 2022 feeling successful in our resolutions and maintaining our fabulosity for the long run.
Ready to create the life you’ve dreamed of? Here are five fabulous tips that will help you achieve your New Year goals with intentionality and give you clarity on where you need to succeed in your personal and professional life.
Identify Your “Pink Elephant”
A Pink Elephant is a metaphor for your biggest, most audacious goal that seems impossible at the moment.
Identifying your Pink Elephant is easier than you think.
To start, identify your biggest dream that’s keeping you up at night. Do you want to build brand awareness for your business? Pivot from employee to entrepreneur? Change careers?
If you’re having trouble identifying your Pink Elephant, try freewriting. Write down the person you’d like to be, what you want to do, and what you want to have. All goals are surrounded by those three things.
To achieve my own Pink Elephants, I identify at least one tiny step I can take toward one of my goals each day. I call these tiny steps, small bites. (I recommend my undated Today Is A Great Day for Eating Pink Elephants planner to keep you on track to make your goal-setting easier.)
If you focus on your Pink Elephant every day, you’ll start to see incredible changes that add up; and at the end of the month, you’ll have at least 30 things that you’ve accomplished. And those big elephants start getting gobbled up that way!
Be SMART at Eating Your Pink Elephant
To take bites out of your Pink Elephant, you have to be SMART about achieving them. That’s where SMART goals come into play.
All SMART goals are specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and time-based. These types of goals are the fuel that can get your New Year’s resolutions going!
According to the University of Scranton, 92% of people do not achieve their New Year’s resolutions, and only 8% succeed. To become part of the 8% and get your SMART goals started for the New Year, I suggest using my three pillars: belief, planning, and action.
Belief: Shift your mindset to believe that you can complete the SMART goal.
Planning: Make a plan to bring your SMART goals into play.
Action: Put forth effort. This is the most important pillar. Neither of the other two will get you anywhere if you don’t start trying. Action can be divided into an annual goal and then further divided into what you’re going to accomplish each month, week, and day.
For example, I had a client with a goal of raising $750,000 for her organization and went on to raise $13 million, simply because she adopted an action mindset. Another client walked out of her business presentation with three new contracts after I coached her on developing her pitch. It’s all because she strategically knew what she wanted and asked for it.
This method really works!
Use Vision Boards to Create Your Dream Life
A vision board can make your SMART goals come to life and become a powerful motivation tool.
To start, look at your Pink Elephant. Then, cut out anything that will motivate you visually to seek that goal. Direct fliers, direct mailers, bank statements with numbers on them, images– anything that can jolt you into envisioning what your life can look like.
And remember, vision boards are more than just putting things down on paper. When you combine your vision board with SMART goals, you put intentionality into that board, so you’re less likely to just stick it up on a wall and forget about it.
There are all kinds of vision boards. If you’re always on the go, I recommend making a portable one on paper, a notebook, or a journal if you have one. I travel so much, and over time I realized I needed a vision board that traveled with me. (That’s why I created journals!) Plus, if you carry it with you in your suitcase or purse, then you’re more likely to look at it every day.
Flex Your Confidence Muscle!
Confidence is everything!
Studies show that confident people tend to be more successful than non-confident people. So, we naturally gravitate toward people who are confident because we hope it rubs off on us.
Identifying where you lack confidence is the first step to gaining some! After you’ve identified where you lack confidence, you have to do what you’re afraid of.
For example, say I hate Excel, because I don’t use it. But, if I took a course and learned how to use it, I’d have more confidence in using Excel. And then I wouldn’t say I hate it so much.
Confidence is like a muscle. Practice using it, and you’ll get better at it.
Celebrate Your Wins!
It’s important to celebrate the small wins. It’s incredible how people don’t give themselves credit for what they have accomplished and celebrate each and every “Wow!” moment.
Every time you celebrate achieving something, it gives your brain permission to do it again. In addition, acknowledging your wins gives you a sense of motivation to keep going.
If you go from one task to another, again and again, you could burn yourself out. But if you take the time to step back and celebrate your success, it’s like, “Yes! I did it!” And then you can go on to your next goal. You’ll find that it’s going to increase your energy level, and your sense of self-motivation. (My Fab in 90 Days journal can help you track your small successes and write down your daily efforts.)
Your New Years’ resolutions may be big, but that doesn’t mean that they’re impossible to achieve! Eat your Pink Elephants–Every. Single. Day. With intentionality and these tools under your belt, you’ll be able to cross those goals off your list in no time.
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