Reflecting On The Past Year

December tends to be a time of self-reflection where we look back on the year that has passed and evaluate our accomplishments, successes, and failures. Many of us set New Year’s resolutions at the beginning of the year, and are now coming to the realization that some things we’d set out to achieve have unfortunately not happened.

Unmet goals can leave you feeling defeated and discouraged, and it is challenging to feel inspired to set new goals. So how do we deal with this disappointment? I wanted to offer some tips to recovering from unmet targets, and starting fresh.

 

1. Reflect on each unmet goal.
   • Evaluate honestly why it was not accomplished. Was something standing in your way? Was it beyond your control? Was it unrealistic? Understanding where it went wrong is the first step.
2. Think about what you could have done differently.
   • Is there anything you could have done differently in order to achieve your goals? If so, learn from your mistakes so they don’t happen again moving forward.
3. Take ownership.
   • Accept that you did not accomplish what you set out to do. The sooner you can be at peace with not attaining every goal you set, the sooner you can create new ones and start fresh.
4. Try again!
   • Learn from your mistakes the past year and set new goals that you are ready to accomplish in 2015. Feel inspired by what you have accomplished in the past, and go from there!

 

While we may not always be motivated to set goals and challenge ourselves to do better, it is one of the simplest and most important ways to ensure we’re moving forward in life and becoming the best possible version of ourselves! After all, don’t

There will always be disappointments and discouragements, but as baseball legend Babe Ruth once said, “never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” So set goals and do your very best to achieve them! And remember, setting goals is the first step, figuring out how you are going to achieve them is the second step. After all, you wouldn’t plan on going to a destination without mapping out how you are going to get there.

How do you face the goals you haven’t met? What inspires you to set new goals or try accomplishing old ones when a new year starts? Share your experiences with me in the comments section below!

Change Your Habits and Stay Motivated in 2014

The New Year brings the promise of renewed commitment to many life goals – if you take one look at your local gym, you’ll see the number of people newly committed to their health in 2014!

Whether your list of New Year’s resolutions includes improving your fitness, saving  money or quitting smoking, the focus  almost completely lies on achieving the end result.

However, if February rolls around and you haven’t lost your 10 pounds yet, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you haven’t achieved something along the way. Setting lofty expectations for yourself can be a good thing – for some people, it challenges and motivates them to achieve the next level of success. For others, however, expectations that border on the unrealistic can harm our sense of accomplishment and make us feel like we have failed somehow, particularly if we only concentrate on the end result.

This year, make goal-setting an enjoyable experience by challenging yourself while still being kind to yourself. Long-term change is only possible when you can keep yourself consistently motivated by your progress. Instead of vowing to lose 30 pounds this year, why not aim to incorporate positive habits into your routine, like working out 3 times a week and packing your lunch for work. These are choices and changes you can make daily that contribute to the sense of progress that keeps you motivated.

Recognize that it is the countless daily choices and habits that make up who we are, rather than impractical goals we set for ourselves. By concentrating on those small, everyday choices, we will slowly become better versions of ourselves.

What habits will you try to implement this year? Have you tried traditional goal-setting? What results have you seen? I look forward to your comments below!