There is a belief that how you spend January 1st is how you will spend the rest of the year. If that is true, it is going to be a year full of the things I love the most!
I slept in, got in a great workout, spent time with clients, went for a hike with my husband and dog, and ended with an amazing family dinner where both of our teenagers were engaged in conversation and asked for seconds on veggies!
It is nice to think that the rest of the year will just happen like yesterday because of what I chose to do yesterday. However, the reality is we have to be intentional about how we choose to spend each and every day for the other 364 days of the year. Things don’t often happen simply by chance!
Why is it that we start each new year with such great intentions and plans, to find ourselves on December 31st, or much sooner than that, with little or none of them done or sustained? I believe it is because we haven't thought about the stickiness of the goal or intention, and we haven't established a system of accountability and celebration.
I used to feel guilty, or inadequate, by needing challenges or groups to help me reach my goals. I actually told myself this time last year that I needed to figure out how not to need a challenge to transform and get things done. I would thrive at our local Transformation Challenges at the gym, taking first and third place on different occasions and not placing on years where I wasn't qualified to win due to winning the year before. Crazy! I push myself to the limits of exhaustion to earn some swag and bragging rights that I accomplished the task. When I had a boss, goals were always met. I became so incredibly frustrated that I couldn't do it alone.
As I now reflect on this frustration, I know that I was crazy for that way of thinking! A community and system that holds you accountable is critical to reaching many lofty goals. This is one of my key takeaways in 2021 as I take inventory on all that I accomplished.
A lot happened in 2021 that needs to be celebrated! I got myself a health coach to hold me accountable to my health goals, simply knowing that I needed to report progress to her every week kept me going. I also became a health coach myself in order to add another layer of accountability. In addition, I started a business in 2021 and found myself a life/business coach to challenge me to get the "hard" stuff done and not procrastinate. It is actually this coach who helped me to understand that there is absolutely nothing wrong with needing people and systems to hold you accountable! For that, I am forever grateful!
So, imagine what 2022 could look like if we treated every day like January 1st and added in some structure of accountability?
I think you would be unstoppable!
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