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In anticipation of a new year, it's typical to reflect on the past year and think about what you want to do differently with a new opportunity. Many people set New Year’s resolutions—to exercise, eat healthier, be kinder, spend more time with family and change jobs, to name a few. Unfortunately for most, by the time Valentine’s Day rolls around in mid-February, the resolution is forgotten and the old habits and experiences remain steadfastly in place.
Behavior and life change is possible. People do it all of the time, but it takes commitment and focus, not just a sentence of desire written down on a piece of paper or recorded in a smartphone. To truly make the shift you desire, you must change your way of thinking about the shift you need to make.
1. Start by specifying your desired outcome.
Most people know what they don’t want, but they rarely take the time to consider what they specifically do want. And it can’t be a broad statement—“I want to lose weight” is too broad and ill-defined. A good statement of outcome includes both quantitative and qualitative measures. How much weight do you want to lose? By when? Is there a specific size you want to be? Are there things you will do or won’t do to lose the weight (eating lettuce every day for a month rarely works, for example)? Do you want to lose weight by eating better, or do you want to include exercise too? The more completely you can paint the picture of your successful outcome, with as much detail as possible, the better able your mind will be to aim toward what you want.
2. Next, figure out what’s been in your way or what might be in your way to achieving success.
This is where you identify your obstacles to success. Can’t lose weight because you have no time to work out? You travel too much for work? You are on some sort of medication that increases your weight? There are likely a few factors that get in your way, otherwise, you would have reached your goal a long time ago. It’s important to identify the obstacles and then categorize them in order to plan effectively. There are three categories of obstacles: those you can control, those you can influence and those out of your control. It can be common to become fixated on what you can’t control and rue the unfairness of being burdened with “fat genes,” for example. But while it might be comfortable to do this, it won’t help you to reach your desired outcome. Identify those things you can control and can influence and make your plan around those. Choose to ignore the things that are out of your control and know that you have to plan for what you can do in order to take any steps forward.
3. Consider your strengths and areas of opportunity (sometimes known as weaknesses).
It is important to recognize where you might be your own obstacle but also where you bring specific skills and attributes to help you make a shift. Take a good look at what you can do to enable yourself to succeed in your efforts. Also, look at your stakeholders—those people in your life who care about you and could support your efforts toward success. Are there people you can leverage to put plans in place? Are there people who can be your cheerleaders or information resources? Think carefully about the human capital leverage points you have and then leverage them!
4. Consider your alternatives.
Sometimes when striving for a goal, people operate with one-way thinking, as if there is only one way to get to your objective. There are multiple ways, and you want to consider separate options to figure out which one is best for you. Knowing your personal criteria for success—whether it be the most time-efficient, least expensive, most engaging, best suited for your personality, etc.—could offer you choices. Prioritize your criteria and then prioritize your list of options. Choose the one that best meets your criteria.
5. Your last step should be to create a clear plan for the next steps.
Yes, life will intervene. Yes, you want to stay open to new ideas and options. Yes, you want to go where the Universe takes you. But you still need to have a plan of action if you want to (a) get to the desired outcome, (b) overcome obstacles, (c) leverage your human factors and stakeholders, and (d) implement the right alternative for you. Determine your what, who, when, how and how much, and then take the steps to move forward toward your goal.
You can learn more about the process outlined in this post and sign up for your own journey here.
Whatever you do, be sure to make your shift come true in this new year.
