8 ways to smash out your goals in 2015

I don’t really do New Year resolutions, but I do goals. As we get to December, I start thinking about 2015. What I want to keep. What I want to discard. What I want to build on. Here are some ideas for setting and meeting some cracking goals in 2015.

1. Decide.

This sounds really simple. But for most of us self-doubt ruins too many goals. You know that voice in your head that says ‘I couldn’t possibly do that . . .’, well you can. If you decide to. Consciously think about what is important to you and what you want and decide that is what you are going to make happen.

2. Write it down.

Things are so much more likely to get done if you commit to them by taking the first step of writing them down. Preferably where you can see them. You could create a vision board, or add it it a noticeboard on the wall or even use a notebook if you prefer, but writing them down makes them solid.

3. Break your goal down into smaller, measurable and achievable steps.

If you have a big goal, break it down into the smallest steps possible so each one doesn’t seem so intimidating. When I was looking at an ambitious half marathon time, I created a plan for consolidating a fast 5k, a fast 10k and then a fast marathon. Starting small really helped.

4. Make sure it is specific enough to be measured.

Being more fit is a great goal but you can’t really measure that. So it can be hard to know if you are improving or not. Something like wanting to go for a run three times a week is far more specific and far more measurable and a whole lot easier to feel great about yourself for getting out there and doing what you set out to do.

5. Give yourself a break

Setting a goal doesn’t mean you are always going to make decisions that are going to move you toward that goal. And that’s ok. You are going to have off days where you might opt for more doona time. The whole thing doesn’t fall apart because you miss one session. Just make sure you make the next one.

6. Find people who support your goals

You would think this would be easy, but sometimes it’s not. Finding people who are going to help you enjoy your successes and push you back out there when you need it are going to make a huge difference to whether you keep going or not.

7. Work out what your biggest obstacles are

Sometimes there is an obstacle and you don’t even recognise it. I signed up for a new Crossfit gym this year and then didn’t go to any classes for two weeks. Lee from Brightside Coaching asked me a simple question: what is the anxiety about?. And the answer was really simple I was anxious about being late because of when I dropped my daughter off at school. Once I worked out I could drop her off early, I happily went along and started. Working out those obstacles is really important because it’s often very easy to come up with a solution. But you have to know what the problem is.

8. Have fun

Let’s face it, you have to enjoy it. If your plan calls for tough workouts, then there has to be some part of you that really loves the hard. Not all of you. But some part. If it’s not fun, it will never stick.