February is coming to an end and there’s a general topic popping up during sessions: those New Year resolutions. Specifically, evaluating whether they represent an action we still want to implement. Do they just need some tweaking or need to be vanished. 

Yes, those end-of-the-year thoughts and wishes of how we are going to change our life, step into a new beginning, come back feeling like a heavy weight on our shoulders. The issue is many of us set resolutions based on what we think we should do or what we think others want us to do, rather than on what we firmly actually want to do. Did we feel pressured into making a goal to change a certain way? To add a new activity? To refrain from doing something? I already feel the gloom. Do you?

February comes around and we find that maybe the timing of the goal wasn’t right, or simply the goal wasn’t truly ours. I have news, we are not alone. The reality is that the average person breaks their resolutions 32 days after making them and a whopping 68% give up their resolutions even sooner than that. “In fact, one in seven Americans never actually believe they’ll see their resolution through in the first place.” (New York Post 1/28/20) 

As a coach, I always ask the question: What can you do at this point in time? What do you choose to do now?

Begin again! Yes, you have full permission to make mistakes, reflect (you already know the rule: no judgement allowed) and change direction. If there’s any guilt or shame, please set it aside and:

1. Do a bit of introspection, Why do I really care about achieving this goal? Think a bit deeper: What’s my connection to this goal? Go a bit further: What really matters to me? What parts of me do I want to set as a priority in 2022?
   
   
2. That’s a great starting place. Feel the energy coming back to your body?
   
   
3. Once you set up your goal or intention figure out and clearly spell out all the action steps needed to achieve it. Yes, stating a goal with no specifics on what it will take to achieve it can be a recipe for disaster. Be clear and specific about every step.
   
   
4. Stay accountable and track your progress.  Slipped a bit? Made a mistake? Don’t fret, a study from the University of Scranton shows that people who were successful at sticking to their resolutions for 2 years slipped up at least 14 times. (PubMed.gov)
   
   
5. Anticipate challenges or roadblocks and identify possible solutions. This step is key to long-term success because it allows us to preview the future and possibly anticipate what can hold us back. What can get in the way? Maybe during periods of high stress at work we need to identify a trusted friend who will cheerlead us and help hold ourselves accountable. 

Stay well,

Ana Isabel Sánchez