As we try to shake off the dirt of 2020 and pave the way for 2021, it might be easy to feel deflated and unmotivated. This past year has been the toughest yet, testing our endurance, patience, both physical and mental strength.
I want to start by saying well done for getting through 2020. This year, Social Media has brought about a notion that during lockdown one should be working on themselves as they ‘have no excuse not too’. I argue this, we all have different ways of coping with adversities. In my opinion, if you can go through all the bollocks this year may have thrown at you whilst still being compassionate to yourself and others, then that is something you should be very proud of.
If you are reading this, I assume you are the kind of person who wants to set some new year’s resolutions for this coming year. Here are some of my top tips in setting yourself goals and sticking to them in order to get more of what you want out of life.
First and foremost, sit down with a pen and paper and have a chat with yourself. This might seem silly but with the hustle and bustle of our busy lives, we very rarely take the time to check in with what WE want and need, rather than what others expect from us. What you might not know is that the answers to the big questions in our lives are already within us.
Humankind has evolved and achieved because we are natural problem solvers. As an example, what is something you’ve been worrying about? Take a deep breath, ask yourself that question, and listen, your inner guide will automatically come up with a solution regardless of if feels like the right one.
Our inner voice is there to protect us, to keep us in our comfort zones. I like to use the metaphor of an elastic band. Most people start their year tackling their goals head-on and build some momentum, but sure enough, fall back into their old habits. This is like stretching the elastic band further and further but as soon as you let go of that grip, it springs back to its original form. The best way to achieve your goals is to find awareness of that inner saboteur and tell it to ‘politely piss off as I’m trying to make a change’.
So on that note, I’ll ask you this; What stopped you achieving your goals in 2020? I want you to reflect on this without blaming any external circumstances. Obviously, the pandemic has set us all back but the harsh truth of the matter is that we’re our own worst enemy. What have you let hold you back?
Once you feel you’ve come up with some of the ways in which you’ve prevented your own success, now ask yourself, who do I need to be in 2021 in order to have the success I want? Do you need to be someone who puts their own needs first, someone who prioritises their health, someone who wakes up earlier? Now you have painted a picture of who you need to be, visualise becoming that person, how will you do it? What do you need to stop doing? What do you need to start doing?
Imposter syndrome is something that affects absolutely everyone, every successful person once started at nothing. The difference between someone who is successful and someone who isn’t is that the successful person will choose not to listen to that inner voice telling them they aren’t good enough and just get on with it, win or lose.
If you want to gain confidence in yourself and your ability to do what you love then I need to tell you something. Even with Amazon Prime, confidence can’t just be bought and delivered to you. You are still going to have to do the things that scare you. If you don’t think you’re ready now then you will never be. Confidence comes from action, doing what you’re scared of doing even though you don’t want to and reaping the benefits when it works out.
Make your will power stronger, do something even when you don’t feel like it, that is you stepping outside your comfort zone. That is how you change your life, your habits, your success. Conquer yourself, bring about a brand new comfort zone in 2021.
And if no one has told you yet, I’ll tell you. You’ve got this.
charlie greening 