How to SUCCEED at your 2017 Goals!

Happy New Year!

 

Day one of the New Year usually bring one thing (in addition to finding the ultimate cure for a New Year’s Eve induced hangover!).. goal setting!

 

I love the start of a New Year as it not only means you can reflect on the year just gone, you can start to plan what you want to achieve during the year ahead and setting goals is a great way of doing this.

 

The problem is though that the majority of goals set by people FAIL within the first few weeks. And as Stephen Covey once said:

 

‘Stop setting goals. Goals are pure fantasy unless you have a specific plan to achieve them’ .. meaning the key is to plan what changes you are going to make. After all; ’If we keep doing what we’re doing, we’re going to keep getting what we’re getting’.

 

 

Focus on the journey rather than the destination, i.e. create an appropriate ritual and you will get the result that you desire.

 

In this blog post I thought that I would not only share with you my top tips on how to set and ultimately achieve a workable goal and plan, but my personal goals for 2017 too.

 

So let’s go!

 

 

MY 5 TOP TIPS ON GOAL SETTING

 

• 1) Make your Goals SMART & write them down; Don’t be ‘wish washy’ with your goals; make them Specific, Measurable, Attainable (how are you going to achieve your goal), Realistic and Timely, and write them down; for me this means electronically in this blog post as well as in the back of a note-book that I use every day; meaning I can quickly and easily refer to them when ever I want.

• 2) Add a WHY; Remember why you are doing the goal, for example if you’re goal is to drink more water; are you doing it to help to regulate your appetite (if you’re trying to lose weight), or is your aim better skin or better digestion?

• 3) Set a PLAN; This is the ‘A’ of the SMART acronym; There is no point in setting a goal without a plan. HOW are you going to achieve what you want to achieve; make a plan, write it down and give it a go. Don’t worry if your plan doesn’t work straight away; just tweak it and try again! Remember, failure isn’t falling down, it’s failing to get back up again!

• 4) Get an Accountability Partner. Sharing your aims, hopes and desires is a great way of staying accountable. For me this is my sister and we not only plan on sharing our goals with each other but we plan on working out together and cooking healthy meals together too. An accountability partner doesn’t have to leave near you though; you could stay in touch via What’s App or social media.

• 5) Take Progress Shots; Nothings says it more than a good progress shot. If you’re aim is anything to do with fat loss, muscle gain or health then a picture will speak a thousand words; as well as the expression on your face 😉 I plan on taking a progress shot at the start of every month and sync it with myfitnesspal (it has this cool new function where you can add a picture next to your weight!).

 

 

 

MY 5 PERSONAL GOALS FOR 2017 

 

• 1) To Sleep for 8 Hours a Night; Given that I have to get up at 6am Monday to Friday (to give me enough time to hydrate, work-out and get ready for work) my plan is to start getting ready for bed at no later than 9pm with a plan of lights about by 9:45pm. The reason why I’m setting this goal is that I know that 8 hours sleep helps me to feel good the following day, regulates my appetite and helps my skin; all in all it’s the underlying key to success in my eyes! I want to achieve this goal by the end of January 2017.

 

• 2) Read more Books: I have a whole host of unread books on my bookshelf and my aim is to spend more time reading than scrolling aimlessly through my phone. Specifically I want to read before bed; for 30 minutes 915pm-9:45pm. On my reading list are a few books;

– Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

– Gut: the inside story of our body’s most under-rated organ (recommended by The Rooted Project!)

– 59 Seconds: Think a little, change a lot

– Mindset: How You Can Fulfil Your Potential

– How to Win Friends and Influence People

I have a few other books that I want to read too however I’m going to save these for 2018 (!). I’m also thinking about reading The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving A F*ck: How to Stop Spending Time You Don’t Have with People You Don’t Like Doing Things You Don’t Want to Do (No F*ucks Given Guide) – if you’ve read this do let me know if you would recommend it! I want to achieve this goal by the end of January 2017.

 

• 3) Drink more Water: I’m pretty good at drinking fluid in the form of no added sugar squash, tea (all types!) and coffee, however I want to get good at drinking plain water. I’ve just got my hands on a new water bottle that claims to make tap water taste great so I’ll let you know how I get on with it! I plan to drink at least 1 litre of plain water a day (and 1 litre of other fluids) and I want to achieve this goal by the end of January 2017 to help with my skin and to help to regulate my appetite.

 

• 4) Having More Mindful time with Loved ones. Most millennials, at some time or another, are guilty of scrolling through their phones instead of paying attention to what’s going on in the immediate vicinity, and I am no exception. I plan on not only charging my phone in another room (and using a regular alarm clock for my alarm!), but making sure that my phone is out of sight during social occasions (except of course to take a picture!);  social media isn’t real; images are posed, filters are added and although it can be a great source of inspiration it can also be a major distraction to real life in the here and now. Focus on your nearest and dearest, instead of seeking approval from an online community. I want to achieve this goal by the end of January 2017.

 

• 5) Lose my Holiday Weight: I definitely relaxed the ’80/20 rule’ over the festive season and now it’s time to get back on track. I have my first wedding dress fitting in July which means I have just under 7 months to get ‘in shape’ and feel at my best. I’m currently sitting 3-4Kg above my usual weight and 3-4% above my usual body fat percentage. Although this may sound like a relatively small amount of weight being only 5’3” means that every pound counts and currently a pair of new jeans that I bought in October and haven’t worn outside the house no longer fit (eek!) – I store my weight on my thighs/hips/bum which may be best from a health point of view, my new jeans certainly don’t thank me for it (!). I’m going to stop excessive snacking before and after my dinner to curb my current weight-gain trend! I want to achieve this goal by mid-July 2017.

 

 

So there you have it, my 2017 goals.. what are yours? Tell me below and we can be accountable for each other!! GOOD LUCK! X

 

 

P.S In case you were wondering my 2016 was really positive.. after getting my braces off (hurray!!) I celebrated my 30th birthday in New York where my boyfriend of 8 years proposed (and I said yes!). We then found a perfect wedding venue and set a date for September 2017 to get married. I also had some amazing trips away with my sister to Barcelona and with friends to Cornwall, and went to two gorgeous weddings. Several of my friends also announced that they were pregnant and others gave birth to the most beautiful boys. I also featured on BBC breakfast a few times and filmed with Channel 4 (the piece is going to be broadcast this month!!). 2016 really was special for me and I cannot wait to see what 2017 will bring!