“The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.” – Bill Copeland
Hello, June! With that last flip of the calendar we are officially halfway through 2015.
It seems like just yesterday we were clinking champagne glasses and setting a slew of semi-unattainable New Year’s resolutions—most of which have probably fallen by the wayside.
Oops.
But fear not: You aren’t alone.
According to a study from the University of Scranton, only eight percent of people actually achieve their New Year’s resolutions. We’ve all had that feeling of looking back on the year and feeling like we didn’t accomplish anything, like we let time fly by and now we’re ending the year exactly where we started it.
Consider this your mid-year reminder and motivation so 2015 doesn’t become one of those years.
Six Months is Perfect
While it may no longer be a true New Year’s resolution, there’s nothing stopping you from creating a half-year resolution. The next six months can bring forth a lot of change. In fact, six months is probably a more attainable timetable than a full year.
“Six months is a great round number because it’s enough time to make a big impact, and check in and adjust course when needed. Checking in every month, and at the three-month mark, is a great way to steer yourself toward success,” says Sally Anne Giedrys, an ICF-credentialed life coach with Whole Life Strategies Coaching specializing in reinvention.
Invest in Yourself
Without the hassle of everyone else posting their resolutions on social media, you can really dedicate the next six months and invest in yourself.
Do you want to learn a foreign language? Lose 15 pounds? Start an anti-inflammatory diet? Learn to cook? Pay down debt? Train for a race? These are all things you can start taking steps toward now.
Think of your six-month resolution like you’d think of setting an intention in yoga. Hold it in your heart every day and establish the small steps you can take now toward accomplishing your larger goal.
Limit Your Goals
“In any given period of our life, we are working with a limited amount of time, energy, and resources. To avoid being overwhelmed or scattering your energy, it’s important to prioritize which goals you are pursuing. I encourage clients to set no more than five large-scale goals per year. When we set fewer goals, we can often achieve more,” Giedrys says.
Giedrys recommends focusing on goals that help build new habits. “Saving five or 10 percent of your income, getting to the gym two to three times a week, adopting a new healthy eating habit, getting eight hours of sleep—those are all great places to start because they offer immediate wins. A lot can happen in that time. If your job isn’t working for you, six months is plenty of time to explore what you’d rather be doing, rewrite your resume, and start a job search. Even large goals can be broken down into pieces that can be accomplished in six months,” she explains.
Where to Start?
Donna Ghanney, a certified professional life coach specializing in business coaching, recommends this exercise to help narrow it down:
- Discover what you want to change. Write down 3-10 changes you want to make.
- Discover why you want to change. Write down 3-10 reasons why you want to change.
- Discover which one you are most passionate about now. Write it down.
- Discover how you can change it. Write down details of how you can make changes now.
- Discover when you will start. I will start ______.
- Discover which step you will take first. Establish order with your details.
- Discover if there are any obstacles or challenges? Write them down.
- Discover how you can eliminate those obstacles? Write them down.
- Start moving and make changes as needed while declaring positive affirmations daily.
Here’s to making the most of the second half of 2015!
Photo by Sasha Juliard.
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Jayme Lamm is a sports + travel + fitness writer based in Houston, TX. She lives for telling fun and unique stories and when it comes to sports and athletes is always on the hunt for compelling human interest stories. Her work has appeared in ESPN, CBS, Women’s Health, and many others and she also founded the award-winning sports column The Blonde Side. Follow her many adventures on Twitter and Instagram @JaymeLamm.