Setting New Year's Resolutions

The New Year is right around the corner, an exciting time filled with hope and possibilities. A clean slate, a time to start fresh and begin anew! What do you have planned?

Each New Year many of us take stock of our lives and waistlines, make resolutions, join fitness clubs, clean out the refrigerator, cut up our credit cards and make lists of all the nifty new habits we're going to adopt.

We're motivated and inspired to make big changes. This is the year it all happens!

Then January 27th rolls around and somehow the cookies have made their way back into the cupboard, the gym shoes (bought on credit) are still in the box they came in and the New Year's resolution list - where the heck is that anyway?

Ugh. The discouragement is almost palatable. We beat ourselves up again for a failed effort at goal setting, as we look over the bills racked up over Christmas. We feel stuck in lose/lose situation. It's a wonder we don't go hide under the bed and never come out.

All this just feels terrible. And that's the problem. Feelings.

It's where most of us go wrong when setting goals for ourselves.

We list material goals, not realizing that what we really want is to feel a certain way.

Confused? Let me give you some examples:

You may set a goal to buy a new car in 2016. However, what you really want is to feel safe when driving your young family around.

You may set a goal to go on a tropical vacation. What you really want is to feel totally relaxed and stress free.

You may set a goal to obtain a corporate management position. It may be what you really want is to feel financially secure.

When we set goals based on how we want to feel, they come from an authentic place inside of us that is truly motivated by our core values. We're therefore much more likely to give them the energy and focus needed.

When you get clear on how you want to feel you're more likely to choose goals that are meaningful to you and move you in the direction you really want to go. And it may not be to the gym. Perhaps you're more of a Tai Chi in the park type.

Take some time to list all the emotions that you want to feel. Don't limit yourself. Write them ALL down.

Now start developing your goals based on that list. You'll have much more success.