The end of 2017 was flooded with messages of renewed energy and healthy intentions for a better year. I admit it was a welcomed surprise, especially when social media can be so whiny and depressing. But I know I’m not alone in thinking that this motivation can’t last forever. When I work with therapy clients, as we celebrate any uptick in motivation, I always invite them to examine their recipes for success.
If our successes are so few, or only occur with “New Year” motivation, let’s look at how to spread this healthy energy throughout the year.
Assess Your Confidence
Do you realize how you confident you are? Yes you!
A person is unlikely to set goals or state their desires without having at least bite size confidence. If you got off the struggle bus in December and are left with bite size confidence, even the smallest resolution or goal involves confidence. Being willing to make a change in your life means you believe in your worth. Click To Tweet You believe you deserve better and can DO better.
That confidence translates into energy. All this social media energy about intentions, better boundaries, healthier eating, etc, comes from your self-worth.
Tip: At the end of every month, do a self-check on your confidence levels. Are your self-esteem and energy at the same level? What did you do at the end of December that could help you now?
Read: Are You A Confidence Buster?
Assess Your Barriers
In recovery circles, we caution people about the concept of insanity. “Insanity means doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results.” If your yearly goals fall apart at the same time each year, it’s time to check out your patterns.
If weight loss motivation is strong in the winter and gets weak in the summer, find the barrier.
If you only get motivated in your side hustle when your funds are low, find the barrier.
If your personal boundary wall is only strong when you’re feeling cocky or rude, remember that the wall won’t stay up forever. What’s your barrier?
In 2017 I slipped on a lot of my goals and lost motivation due to multiple distractions. I’ll admit that social media scrolling and stressing (thanks to this government) had me distracted. I didn’t have the awareness to pull away and I lost motivation to finish personal and professional tasks. I realized this mid-year and made better efforts to stop being so opinionated.
In the blogging world, we aim to engage online with others, which helps build our brand. Having opinions doesn’t fatten my pocket. I now have to find the healthy line between being informed and just wasting time.
Assess Your Why
When clients mention trying something different I always ask them, “Why?” Sometimes it sounds like I’m being a jerk but it’s a healthy way of challenging their thinking. Where did they get this idea? Who is encouraging them to do it? Is it in line with their values?
If we don’t know our WHY, then we’re likely to stumble.
If you are feeling energized about your goals, vision board, business planning, write down WHY. Re-visit this WHY when you’re feeling discouraged or you get off track.
As a college graduate, I feel that one of my biggest lessons was patience. Now, this doesn’t mean I’m patient in traffic or waiting in line (that’s a whole other blog post). College students highlight those articles, chug coffee, stay up late and type up endless pages of reports because they’re patient. They know that every hurdle leads to a degree. For me, my degree meant a higher ceiling. I knew that my degree would open more doors and lead to my desired career.
Every tedious task led to my WHY.
When I started my blog exactly 3 years ago, I took my time in writing posts and monetizing. My long-term goal with blogging is to improve my writing and eventually write books. All the tedious work that comes along with blogging is part of my WHY.
As a new year begins, celebrate your confidence, remind yourself of what you truly value and expect a few bumps in the road. With struggle comes growth. After breakdowns, come breakthroughs. Click To Tweet.
Goals aren’t set in stone. Pivot and adjust as changes occur. Go easy on yourself and remember that being too task-oriented can be draining. Align your WHY with WHO you want to be and you’ll be on the right track! I’m cheering you on!
