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Want to realise your dreams? Then this step is critical…

It is tempting to read articles and see stories about success and believe it happened overnight. Not to say that never happens, but unfortunately, the idea of instant success is often more myth than fact. The truth behind success – be that in improving your academic performance, your physical health, your mental health, or your financial well-being – is a lot less glamourous. It involves a lot of hard work, and more importantly, a lot of planning.

Think about it – if you go away for a weekend, you plan your travel. Having a party? You plan the event. Each element is covered in minute detail. Living a life of success filled with meaning, happiness and fulfilment is no different. Yet many neglect to plan their lives and land up feeling disappointed and discouraged when they don’t achieve what they would like.

Why plan?

There is no doubt we’re living in uncertain times. Each day seems to bring with it a new challenge. The worrying, the wondering and the anticipating of what that next challenge is going to be can cause your mind to start spinning. While there is so much in the world that you can’t control, there is one thing that you can: yourself, and your actions.

Sure, you have a goal for 2021, and in theory it seems “easy” to achieve. If your goal is to improve your fitness, you may commit to being more active. If your goal is to be better with your money, you may commit to budget better. That’s a good start, but without planning on how exactly to achieve these targets, your goals may become another New Year’s resolution that falls quickly by the wayside.

How planning can help you reach your dreams:

  • It helps you to identify your goal more clearly. Improving fitness is a general goal, but planning to do this would include more specifics, like “I need to exercise 5 days a week”
  • It helps you to make sure that we understand your goal and what we need to do to reach it. To exercise 5 days a week, you will need to make the time to do so
  • It helps you to see in advance those things that can help you achieve your goal and those things that can prevent you from achieving it
  • It helps you to become accountable for what you do
  • It supports your decisions on how best to use your resources (energy, people, time, money, information, equipment) so that they make the most significant contribution to achieving your goal.
  • It allows you the opportunity to clearly assess and evaluate your achievements
  • It gives you back control of your life in the middle of a pandemic!

Developing an action plan

Think of planning your life as setting the destination on Google Maps on your phone. Unless you have already been to the place you want to go numerous times and already know how to get there, you’ll need step by step instructions, including bus, taxi times and distances. Planning for your goals is no different.

To start your planning process, start by writing down these three simple questions:

  1. What is to be done?
  2. How should it be done?
  3. When does it need to be done by?

Then, under each item, write down all those things that you will need to do to complete each of the steps. These items will become your checklist, a tangible way of checking how you are progressing towards reaching your goal destinations. Make sure you include your action points on a calendar so that you have definite dates on which to do things.

The real power of a plan is that it will make it easier for you to say “no” to things that are not as important to you. It can be difficult to say “no” sometimes, but once you have learned to say “yes” to your goals as outlined by your plan, it will be easy to decide which opportunities are the really important ones.

There is no right or wrong way, or time, to start planning to achieve your goals. Don’t wait until things get back to “normal”. Accept that today is today, and if you want to achieve something, it’s as good a day as any to start planning!

Have your New Year’s resolutions failed already? Try this.

As hopeful as you may be to achieve your goals, the statistics are sadly not in your favour.

According to the U.S. News & World Report, the failure rate for New Year’s resolutions is approximately 80%, and most people only adhere to them until mid-February every year.

You probably have your resolutions jotted down already, but before you fail (again), let’s try to understand why failing is almost inevitable for many of us.

Why do your resolutions fail?

If the years are flying by, along with your unmet resolutions, there are a few common reasons why:

  • Thinking too much but not doing enough to achieve your goals. This could mean listing your goals but not doing the work.
  • Trying too hard by setting goals that set you up for failure. For example, following diets that cut out everything you enjoy. Meaning, you’ll inevitably crash and revert to your old eating habits.
  • You don’t believe in yourself enough.
  • You don’t track your progress. If you don’t see your results, you won’t be able to fuel your motivation to continue working at a goal. For instance, if your goal is to have a smaller waist, if you never measure your waist, you’ll never know if your work is paying off. This also means you may give up because you’re not seeing results.

Make the intention first

The difference between a goal and an intention is that an intention comes without the “succeed or fail” dynamic. This takes away the pressure of getting results while still including effort and a process. These intentions could be structured as daily, weekly and monthly ones instead of one huge goal.

For example, if you make the intention to be more active, you could start by taking the stairs instead of the lift at work. Or walking to the bus stop rather than getting a lift. Those small achievements will help keep you going.

Focus on the process

New Year’s resolutions are often huge goals. Since they’re looming, you’re likely to become overwhelmed and give up altogether. By focusing on the process though, you’ll avoid becoming overwhelmed by a long-term goal. You’ll still be able to enjoy the journey without becoming anxious about the destination.

Link long-term and short-term rewards

Would you wreck yourself to achieve a goal, just to get zilch in return? Probably not. This is because human beings are big on rewards and the more immediate they are, the better. Because of this, if you concentrate on both the long-term reward and the short-term ones, you’re more likely to stick it out till the finishing line.

For example, if you’re writing a book, celebrate small milestones instead of waiting till it’s complete. This could mean having a treat for every 10 000 words you reach and so on. This reward system will fuel your determination as you progress.

Give yourself a breather

Remember that change takes time and unhealthy habits can be hard to break. Don’t beat yourself up about failures and celebrate your small milestones. Keep track of your achievements in a diary or on your phone to keep you going.

Take a load off by sharing the experience with like-minded people. For instance, team up with a loved one who also wants to lose weight or join a gym so you’re surrounded by other motivated people. Lastly, you don’t have to wait until 1 January to set or start your resolutions. Forming healthy habits and goals is often a lifelong journey.

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5 Olympic athletes share their secrets on how to win

You have your goals written down and may have even worked out your strategy to achieve them. Yet, doubts that you’ll fail to achieve them are still lingering… just like every other year. Urgh.

Instead of wallowing, take your preparation up a notch and take some advice from the best in the business.

Here are some lessons from five Olympians on how to finally bank those goals.

Focus on commitment

Instead of focusing on the big looming end goal, committing to daily, smaller goals that will get you there is less daunting.

You’re also more likely to stick to smaller changes.

To focus on your commitment and make changes you should:

  • Set realistic goals. For instance, if you want to lose 10kgs, don’t give yourself a month to achieve it.
  • Choose something more realistic like losing a half to 1kg per week.
  • Don’t eliminate, replace. If you must remove certain things to change a behaviour, replace it with something healthier. Eliminating something you like or enjoy without a replacement can lead to obsession, leaving you back to where you started. For example, if you’re cutting out chips, swap it for a healthy snack like fruit or popcorn.
  • Devote 15 minutes to your goal every day. 15 minutes a day doesn’t sound like much, but it’s 15 minutes closer to your achievements. Carve out time for your goals each day. For example, write a few pages of your novel, do a mini workout or prepare your weekly planner.

Train hard, turn up, run your best and the rest will take care of itself.”

—Usain Bolt, gold-medal runner

Seek knowledge, not results

If you focus on results alone, your motivation will eventually wane. In other words, if you see positive results you’ll be fuelled to keep going. And if you aren’t seeing positive results, you may throw in the towel. On the other hand, concentrating on improving, exploring and relishing in the excitement of learning will keep you motivated. Focus on the journey and not the destination. This way, you’ll improve along the way and eventually reach your goal.

Failure I can live with. Not trying is what I can’t handle.”

—Sanya Richards-Ross, gold-medal track and field athlete

Be a dreamer

Want to know the best way to ditch negative thoughts? Use your imagination and think about positive outcomes. Often, negative thoughts cause your motivation to dissolve. Fill yourself with positive energy by picturing the best outcomes. Replace bad thoughts with positive ones. You could do this in your mind or even try writing them down in a journal. Think: “I can do this”, “I will be successful”, “My hard work will pay off”.

“Don’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the further you get.”

—Michael Phelps, gold-medal swimmer

Find your purpose​

We all need encouragement to get us through, whether it comes from within or from others. This could be a loved one, a group you belong to, or even a poster of your role model on your bedroom door. Your purpose for trying to achieve your goal is encouragement. Know exactly why you’re trying to achieve your goal and how it will benefit you. For instance, if your goal is to exercise more, appreciate WHY you want to do this, so that the journey will be meaningful.

Whether it’s for your health, to lose weight or to simply look better, know why you’re grinding.

“We have the can-do factor, and us doing what we do I think inspires people to just try that little bit harder, whether they are able-bodied or disabled.”

—Lee Pearson, gold-medal para-equestrian

Get rid of distractions

Let’s face it, there are many things we’d rather do than hustle to reach our goals. But, distractions mean time wasted. For instance, that one-hour show that comes on every day at 5pm, is an hour you could have used to work towards your goal. To get rid of timewasters, make a list of them and hold yourself accountable to not do them. To make it easier for yourself, add a reward. For example, recording or downloading your favourite show to watch over the weekend.

“When I’m racing, I’m thinking about my own race. I’m not thinking about anybody”

– Caster Semenya, gold-medal and middle-distance runner

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