It’s the New Year, 2021, and I am sure most of us will all be hoping, praying and crossing everything that can be crossed that it is going to a better one than 2020!
One thing is for sure though, we have to accept the things we can’t control and focus on those that we can. So many of us will have made plans in 2020 that didn’t come to fruition due to Covid and it’s associated restrictions on our activities and contact, but there will also be a lot of plans that we made, that we actually did manage to come through on. Come hell or high water, Covid wasn’t stopping us all being awesome!!
So many of you amazing Be Strongers seized the opportunity to do some great things in 2020, and I know that 2021 will see you all go from strength to strength. So now is the time to start thinking about our New Years resolutions and making plans for what we want to achieve this year.
Over the next few weeks we will go back to basics on goal setting, planning and strategies to stay on track…. because even though we do this regularly, it’s the perfect time of year to make some plans, and of course we want to plan properly to ensure that we succeed! And we want your goals to survive longer than Quitters Day!!
This week we will just focus on getting some ideas together. We have all year to achieve our 2021 goals, so it is only right that we take a step back and take our time to decide exactly what it is that we want to achieve.
Short term, medium term and long term goals
You might want to think about some different time spans for your goals. Something for the short term (a month or so) , something for the medium term (3-4 months), and then something for the more long term (9-12 months).
Having a long term goal, is great for having something in the distance to aim for, but the danger with only having a long term goal is that you leave it to the last minute until you start working on achieving it. So, for instance, if you want to be a particular clothes size for your summer holidays in August, it’s highly likely you will leave it until July to start working on that goal.
By setting some short and medium term goals, you will be more likely to achieve your long term goal – but why?
- Short and medium term goals will keep you focused in the meantime – they give you something to keep working on and if you relate them to your long term goal, even better.
- By achieving your short and medium term goals, you build your confidence and self belief. When your confidence and self belief grows, so does your staying power!
- Short and medium term goals are a great way of measuring our success (especially if we link them to our longer term goals). If we achieve these, we know we can achieve our longer term goals.
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Reflection
Reflection is something we ask you to do a lot at Be Strong, but it is because it is such a powerful tool.
Reflect on the goals that you set last year and whether you achieved them or not. How did you achieve them? What have you learnt that you can transfer to this years goals, to ensure your success? What did you miss out on, and how could you change your plans for 2021 to give you a better chance of success?
Treat everything as a learning experience and take whatever you can to ensure your next performance is better.
2021 goal ideas
Long term
- Hitting a particular weight range
- Achieve a healthy BMI
- Move down a BMI category
- Be able to run 5k/10k/half marathon/marathon
- Climb a particular mountain
- Take part in a physical challenge for charity
- Improve your current running pace and ability
- Learn and develop a new skill
- Cover a particular distance over the year – walking, running, swimming or cycling
- Develop a regular mindfulness practice
- Develop a regular exercise regime
- Drink 8 glasses of water a day, every day
- Cut back on alcohol
- Develop a great sleep pattern and routine
Short and medium term
- Lose 5kg, 10kg, 1/2 a stone or a stone
- Reduce your BMI by 1
- Commit to and complete 2 workouts a week (then once that’s easy, commit to 3)
- Put your devices to bed by 9pm every night
- Read a book each week
- Practice one mindfulness session a week
- Try a new exercise/class out each week until you find one you like
- Eat your five a day
- Learn what your calories are to maintain and lose weight
- Plan your meals, every few days
- Drink a glass of water with every meal
This week!
Don’t rush in to making your New Years resolutions and goals for the year. Take your time, reflect on what you have achieved already, how you can take that further and where you want your life to go this year, then construct your goals in line with this.
Next week we will look at how to write a proper SMART goal, so that you can give yourself the best chance of success in 2021!! Let’s make this year, the year your resolutions survive beyond Quitters day, and keep you focused all the way to 2022!