New year, new you? It’s something we’ve all said before – and in many cases, it has become an annual tradition.
But according to a recent study, only 75 per cent of us remain as steadfast in pursuit of our goals just one week into the new year – a number that plunges further, to 71 per cent, after a fortnight. And it seems that our determination and dedication to the cause continues to tumble as the year goes on, with just 46 per cent of us still committed at the six month mark, and only between 9 and 12 per cent of us seeing them all the way through until the end of the year.
It doesn’t bode well, and setting yourself up for success only to fall at the first hurdle can begin to feel like an endless cycle. The frustration of never quite making it to where you want to be and the feeling that you’ve let yourself down – again – are hard to swallow, but the good news is that it IS entirely possible to achieve those goals you’re so keen to finally be able to tick off – and 2023 might just be the year you finally do it.
It’s all about the approach you take, and getting it right can ensure you set off on the road to success with all the tools you need to reach your final destination, and with nothing and nobody able to stop you from getting there.
Goals and goal setting are crucial when it comes to achieving just about anything you desire in life – whether it’s a glittering career, a multi-million pound business, a loving relationship or an excellent level of fitness – yet it’s something that most of us still fail to do effectively.
When we neglect to set ourselves serious and achievable goals, we deny ourselves one of the most effective tools for succeeding in our resolutions – but together with mindset and discipline, it’s a vital strategy to help bridge the chasm between “where we are” and “where we wish to be”.
It’s important to remember that any goal you set yourself must be a tangible one; too vague, and you’re already setting yourself up for failure. So, instead of saying you’re going to ‘get fit’ or ‘lose weight’, decide what fitness or your ideal weight look like to you. Do you want to be able to run 10k in a certain amount of time, or simply be able to walk up the stairs without getting out of breath? How much weight do you want to lose exactly?
A goal that is but a thought is of no use to anyone, and as the great artist Pablo Picasso put it: “Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.”
So, it’s not just about setting goals, but about believing you can achieve them – and working out a fail-safe plan of exactly how you’re going to get from A to B.
How, then, do we set and actually achieve our goals in 2023? It’s all about breaking it down – which is actually what exclusive private members life support club The Odissean Experience have done for you here.
Skilled and experienced in helping its high-net-worth community achieve the ‘unachievable’ and enjoy optimal health and wellbeing as well achieving their true potential, here are the club’s top tips for seeing success in your goals in the new year.
Identify your ‘why’
Your why is the very root of your motivation and ultimately, your sense of purpose – so before you can possibly expect to set and achieve any goal, you’ll need to work out exactly what yours is. If your aim is to get fit or to lose weight, why do you want to do so? Is it because you want to be able to run around with your children and be in their lives for as long as possible? Do you have a health condition you would like to reverse? And if you’d like to reduce the stress in your life, why is that? Perhaps you want to feel calmer and have more patience with your loved ones, or be able to generally enjoy your life more.
To put it simply, your why is the foundational rationale that underpins, fuels and directs your behaviour, and is the thing that will keep you going throughout the year. Each time your resolve begins to falter, it’s something you can come back to, sustaining you when your emotions subside, when it gets hard, when you’d rather stay in bed than go for that early morning walk, swim or run – or when you’d rather have the Hagen-Daz ice-cream than the nonfat yogurt – and that will ensure that you continue moving forward, no matter what
Write your goals down
You may well have heard the saying “Poor planning leads to pretty poor performance,” and this couldn’t be any truer when it comes to setting and achieving your goals. It might seem insignificant, but writing your goals down is one of the most important steps you can take, because it helps to cement their importance in your mind and your commitment to them, as well as serving as the first step towards breaking down how you’re going to make them a reality.
Written goals create direction, energy, motivation and self-accountability and are a firm declaration of intent – so get yourself a new notebook, grab your favourite pen and get them down sooner, rather than later.
Make them S.M.A.R.T
For a goal to be truly achievable, it needs to be clear and deliberate. Good goals should be Specific (S), Measurable (M), Achievable (A), Relevant (R), and Time-based (T), so as well as knowing exactly what you want the outcome of your efforts to be, it’s crucial to set yourself a deadline. Do you want to be able to tick off your goal in six weeks, six months, or by the end of the year? Only by knowing this can you work out the steps you must take and how hard you’re going to have to work to make it happen.
Set short, medium and long-term goals
Setting yourself big, long-term goals can quickly leave you feeling overwhelmed – particularly if you’re currently a very long way from where you want to be – so breaking them down into smaller chunks will immediately make them feel more achievable.
For example, if your ultimate goal is to be able to run a marathon, then setting yourself smaller milestones to tick off along the way will help you to see the progress you’re making and keep you feeling motivated. Start with 5k, then 10k, then work your way up to a half marathon and beyond, plotting these small wins to be met throughout the year so that should you pause at any time, you can easily look back to see how far you’ve come.
Achieving those smaller, short-term goals (the low hanging fruit) will be the inspiration you need to attain those larger goals in the future, and will also help you to maintain that crucial momentum along the way.
Visualise achieving your goals
The power of visualisation is often underestimated, but it’s a step you should not neglect when it comes to working towards your goals. If you can picture it, you can believe it, and if you can believe it, you can make it happen. We become what we ceaselessly place our minds on, so focusing on where you want to be will keep you moving in the right direction, no matter what life throws at you.
Spend ten minutes each day with your eyes closed, visualising how your life will look and how you will feel once you finally achieve your goal – or grab a journal and spend the time writing it all down. You’ll be surprised at just what a huge difference it can make, and it’s a great way to maintain a sense of positivity throughout the process.
An elite solution
If it all still feels a little overwhelming, then that’s where invitation-only, private members lifestyle support club, The Odissean Experience, comes in.
A modern response to the varied wellbeing needs of today’s time-challenged HNWI, this exclusive lifestyle enhancement programme is delivered by some of the most celebrated wellbeing specialists and high-performance partners in the world and is designed to ensure that you finally see success and get to where you want to be when it comes to your health and wellness.
The Odissean Experience is an individually tailored offering that includes coaching services geared towards helping you establish – and actually achieve – meaningful goals, and reach your true potential. This new year, give yourself the gift of The Odissean Experience and, in turn, the best means of finally becoming all that you can be.
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To apply for your exclusive membership invitation, contact invitations@theodisseanexperience.com.