Are You on Course for Success this Year?

WORDS: Genevieve Colling- Oasis Mind Body www.oasismindbody.com PHOTOGRAPHY Marc Kleen @unsplash

The Role of Resolutions, Mindset, and Goal Mastery

Just a few months ago we celebrated with fireworks and festivities with many New Year’s resolutions being made as we entered 2024.  Perhaps you also made one?  Or maybe you made a few?  The most common are usually about getting fit or quitting a bad habit.  However, maybe you wanted to prioritise quality time with family or friends?  Perhaps it was more travel and greater life-balance?  Or maybe you wanted to get out of your comfort zone this year and try new things?

Regardless of what resolution(s) you made, now is probably a great time to check-in and ask how is 2024 thus far?  Genuinely assess your progress to date.  Have you made significant achievements or breakthroughs in the areas you wanted to?  Have you made smaller but still important gains that are building blocks for change?  Or have you noticed you have settled into the routine of another year where progress has stalled or failed to start?  If you’re the latter, you’re not on your own.  Approximately 80-90% of people don’t keep the resolutions that they set for the New Year.

My personal perspective on this is simple.  At the end of each year, review what went well and what didn’t.  Celebrate all your achievements, big and small, and the lessons learned (failure is incredibly valuable!).  Then consider what you want to achieve and set intentions for the year that you are psychologically and emotionally connected to, both are critical, ensuring they are aligned with your bigger goals and dreams.  Sound fluffy?  Allow me to explain.

New Year’s resolutions typically fail because they are unattainable and too hard to achieve, or too easy requiring no growth to achieve, are unspecific or unclear, or they are set on a whim and not sufficiently thought through.  Additionally, if there’s a loose commitment to change at best, and no plan.

If we consider the idea of a New Year’s resolution as something we want to change (either stop/reduce something or start/increase something), the psychology of change is simple yet complex.  Essentially it can be distilled as follows:

• Decide that the change is something you want and/or need. You need to stoke your fire of desire.
• Commit that you will do whatever it takes. You need to keep yourself accountable.
• Plan in detail, setting milestones so you can see when progress is being made. You need to keep yourself on track.
• Celebrate milestones you reach. This is psychological fuel to keep you going as it releases the ‘happy’ chemicals and hormones, which reinforce why you’re making the change and it helps you feel like you’re succeeding.  You need motivation to continue progress and cement changes.

 

The combination of these steps psychologically makes us feel responsible and accountable while being competent and able to achieve them.  Reflecting on any change you’ve made in your life it is likely these elements would have been present.  Underpinning these elements is an essential ingredient that is vital to success: Mindset.  A term now widely used yet often misunderstood.  According to the Cambridge Dictionary, mindset means ‘a person’s way of thinking and their opinions’.

Our Mindset is critical to any successful change we wish to make.  To impress upon you how critical mindset is, let me give you an example.  Let’s say I want to learn a new language, Italian.  I’ve always wanted to learn Italian, however, I have a date of departure in 6 months to stay in Italy for two months on business so I’m even more committed to learn.  I make a clear plan with key milestones and I’m excited: I’m doing this and can’t wait to celebrate each milestone at my favourite local Italian restaurant (amazing food plus extra practice!).  A motivating and timely goal with a solid achievable plan so I’m sure to succeed, right?  Not necessarily.

What if I think that I’m not likely to have much time to learn Italian properly and I believe that I’m not good at languages.  Do you think this would have any impact?  No matter how amazing my teacher/classes might be at helping me learn or how much spare time I have to study, I am unlikely to achieve many if any of the milestones in my plan.  Why?  My mindset was not geared for success and I will inadvertently self-sabotage.

Mindset is our foundation.

Build the best house or apartment tower with the wrong foundations, its structure is compromised and weak, deeming it unsafe.  The fundamental flaw causing the problems, the foundations, must be fixed to prevent ongoing issues.  We as humans are exactly the same; our mindset needs to be the right one for the building (goals) that we wish to build (achievement).

Changing our mindset can be done and there are clear steps that you can take.  Just like training for a marathon, studying for an exam, or putting in the effort for any goal – it can be hard work at times, but the reward is worth it.  So too the reward of a healthier mindset means more goals achieved and a more satisfying life.

What do you want to achieve in 2024?  In what area of your life do you want/need change?  Work, Love, Friendships, Health? Pick just one to start.  Once identified, have an idea of a goal but before you begin outlining the steps as noted above, take note of your foundation (mindset).  Invest in shifting your mindset first, before going for the goal.  Whatever you choose, lay the right foundations (your mindset) and the rest, as they say, will follow.

Wishing you the most amazing year yet.  Remember, you can achieve more than you currently believe. However, you must start by shifting your mindset.

Genevieve is a registered psychologist and founder of Oasis Mind Body. You can find out more at www.oasismindbody.com or via her socials @oasismindbody