Does anyone else agree that New Year’s is the best holiday?
It’s not the best because it’s an excuse to drink champagne, stay up until midnight, and celebrate, although it’s great for all those reasons, too. I love New Year’s because it’s a chance to start fresh, wash the missteps of the last year away, and set intentions to achieve your goals.
You might be thinking: “I’ve tried New Year’s resolutions, and they just don’t work for me. After the second week, I’m back to my old ways.”
I feel you, but it doesn’t have to be this way.
There are ways you can actually keep yourself on track to achieve your goals, and I’m going to tell you how .
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Determine your goal
First, it is important to set broad intentions: I want to write a book, I want to lose 15 pounds, I want to learn to cook Italian food. Without these goals in mind, there’s nothing to work towards, no future goal that’s going to hold you in place.
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Break that goal into smaller, actionable items
Most people set goals for the new year, but what most people don’t do is break down those bigger goals into daily, actionable items. How are you going to write a book? You need to set daily word count goals. How are you going to lose 15 pounds? You need to set a gym schedule. How are you going to learn to cook? You need to cook every day.
- Understand how to achieve each step
Even for those who reach step two, this is not enough. If you get yourself to the gym on the days you said you would, that’s great. But what happens when you don’t know how to use the equipment, you don’t know how much exercise is appropriate for your fitness level, you don’t know what dietary changes you also need to make?
Same goes if your goal is to learn how to cook– you can make Italian food for your family every day of the week, but if you don’t have the recipe book and know how to read it, you’re not going to get better.
With writing, you also need accountability and professional guidance.
The reason most people don’t succeed at their New Year’s resolutions has to do with the last two steps: sometimes it is impossible to hold yourself accountable, and sometimes you don’t have the resources to give you the information you need.
This is why when many writers are serious about achieving their writing goals, they hire a writing coach.
A writing coach can help you stay on track, will hold you accountable, and can provide you with personalized resources to make sure you’re writing a book that will actually publish.
If you’re serious about reaching for the author lifestyle in the next 12 months, and about achieving your New Year’s writing resolutions for 2021, jump into my calendar and we can talk about how you can achieve your writing goals.