Rocking New Year’s Resolutions by @MallaHaridat

Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right. – Oprah Winfrey

I know the new year rang in a month ago (already!), but there’s no time like the present to re-assess and make sure you are on the right track. Do you have the foolproof plan you need to rock those resolutions and make permanent, positive changes in your life?  Are you ready to implement some strategies that will have you on top of your goals long term, rather than fading out within a few weeks or even days?

In case you are already struggling, here are some tips that will have you setting both feet on a solid path this coming year. It’s never too late to recalibrate for success.

Be Realistic

I’m all for dreaming big, but if you’ve got 100 pounds to lose, don’t expect to lose it in a month. You want to set goals that give you drive and push, but not goals that feel so out of range you feel you can’t accomplish them.

So sit down and look at your list of goals.  Now put them under the microscope:

Am I being realistic?

For example, if you have a goal to host 15 corporate client events this year (each with a budget of 60k)…and you haven’t hosted one event yet under your company’s name, perhaps you might want to scale it back to 2 or 3 events. I’m not saying that 15 can’t happen.  But perhaps it can’t happen right now. So review your resolutions/business goals and write ones that are the perfect balance of challenge and attainability.

Be Flexible

Setting specific goals is great because it gives you something to evaluate. When your resolution is something specific, you will better know how you are doing with reaching it. That being said, it is important to be able to adjust along the way. Just because a goal is specific, doesn’t mean it has to be set in stone.

Maybe you have a goal to spend a certain amount of time on your business and find it is not enough or too much. Challenge yourself to be open to the process.  Perhaps you set the goal based on the time you can spend during a week or a month rather than a daily goal. Or maybe you want to roll out a new website or sales plan by February.  While that is a good goal, I’m betting that it will take hours of revisions and failed attempts before you are ready to launch.

So be flexible!

Enlist Support

One of the best ways to keep up with those resolutions is with support and accountability. Let those around you know what you are doing and why it is important to you. Ask them to help and tell them how they can. Getting a team of supporters on your side will give you the motivation to keep going when you feel like giving up.

This is especially key when you select a goal outside of your comfort zone.  For example are you going to attend 5 networking events to drum up new business?  But you are shy at networking events.  Tell a good friend who is also an entrepreneur and attend together.  You will be much more likely to stay committed to your promise

Squash Those “Setback Demons”

When you do have a setback, accept it and push through it. Don’t let it derail all your progress. Sometimes, we have something minor happen, like a day off the diet plan, a mistake at work, etc. and just give up.

We throw our hands up in the air like all is lost, and life is ruined. Don’t let that little voice tell you that you might as well quit! Instead, tell it to “Sit down and shut up!” A set back is not a good reason to stop striving all together. Remember, you wouldn’t slash the other three tires because you got a flat in one.

I challenge you when the setback happens to start small again.  If you wanted to start blogging or a social media campaign and you have totally failed to tweet for 2 months – don’t start by just diving in.  Spend 10 min a day only.  Just commit to something short and doable.  It will make the setback seem less intense.

I wish you and your business the best this year!  So good luck rocking out your New Year’s resolutions!!