It’s time for an accountability check. How are those resolutions and Audacious goals of yours coming along? Are you doing everything you could be doing to ensure that your year is your most astonishing one to date?
No? Yeah. Me neither. Keep reading.
It’s very common to start losing ground on New Year proclamations by Groundhog’s Day. And by St. Patty’s Day? Fuggedaboutit. I personally think the winter has a great deal to do with this tendency. It’s much tougher to make it to your kickboxing class when you constantly need a down coat and snow boots to get there (and yes, I’m speaking from experience here).
I personally struggle with the following circumstances in March ::
- Like I said above, it’s still freakin’ cold here in New York City. This winter just won’t seem to let up. This means it takes a lot of oomph to get me out into the world to attend networking events.
- Valentine’s Day brought with it chocolate and other rich foods to indulge in.
- Then my birthday was in late February, which seemed like another great reason to overindulge in goodies.
- Spring is just around the corner, so I can fall victim to thinking “as soon as” thinking on my physical fitness goals. (Read :: “As soon as” spring warms things up, I can start running every morning again.)
What do you struggle with during the winter freeze? Spell it out. Once you raise your awareness of your potential pitfalls, it’s time to choose tenacity.
I cannot overemphasize the importance of tenacity. Many of my clients share that they enjoy the ambitious dreaming part of the coaching process and get empowered by the confidence boosting part, but the tenacity part is where the real work begins. That’s because this is where the rubber meats the road – where you decide whether or not this big, juicy, fabulously successful life you have planned out is worth the effort.
So instead of feeling crappy about losing ground on your New Year Resolutions, here is an Audacity Coaching exercise that will help you to just that ::
Make Everyday Day One
I love Day One – that first day of a new campaign to upgrade your life. It is filled with promise and hope and excitement that today is the Day One that will set you off on a course toward wonderfulness. It can be Day One of a new diet plan or exercise routine, Day One of a new job or new home, or Day One of a new habit or attitude. Day One feels amazing! You feel empowered and excited and fabulous!
So what is the voodoo that Day One seems to have over all other days? For one thing, it’s brimming with sincere intention. You don’t label something “Day One” without the intention that it’s the first day of the rest of your life. Secondly, it just feels great! There’s nothing like that warm-fuzzy-optimistic feeling you get when you decide that today is the day you start making something happen. Finally, it requires a determined mindset. You are more determined on Day One to achieve something than ever again and it shows.
Day 57 doesn’t seem to have the same cache. In fact, most people never get to Day 57 with the same level of determination and follow through. Somewhere along the line, the days start running together and your resolve starts to fade. Eventually, you get off track and stop counting the days all together. So, what do you do? Shake it off and go back to Day One…starting from scratch and a little more defeated than last time.
Well no more! Let go of counting the days since that’s getting you nowhere. Instead, make everyday Day One and give it all of your focus and energy. Screw the 21-days-to-make-a-habit nonsense and short/long-term goal planning.
Decide to simply implement today’s plan. Nothing more. Nothing less.
By only focusing on meeting your plan for today, you let go of the successes and failures of all other days. Today is the only day you are concerned with and the only thing you need to commit to. You can figure out tomorrow . . . well, tomorrow.
Here’s how to create a moxielicious Day One mindset. Create a mental rehearsal script using this uber-simple recipe:
Intention + Optimism + Determination
- State your intention for making today the beginning of something great.
- Identify the source of your optimism.
- Detail how are you going to make it happen today.
Here are some examples of successful mental rehearsal scripts from my coaching clients:
- Today I will start writing my first novel. I know there’s a novel inside of me just waiting to be unleashed. I will protect the hour I have set to write as sacred writing time and produce at least 3 pages.
- Today I will begin being a more confident communicator. I know I have the capacity to assert my opinions at work because I can do it in my private life. I will assert myself in today’s staff meeting and follow-up with my boss as necessary to ensure my concerns and suggestions are heard.
- Today I will nourish myself with proper nutrition and exercise. I know I have all the tools I need to take better care of myself. I will follow my meal plan and go for a 2 mile run before dinner.
Write out your script. Rehearse it again and again. The more specific your script, the better. Make sure your goal is implicit within your script. Execute your script with precision. Feel free to use today’s script again tomorrow, but I encourage you to tweak it and make it more specific to your current day as often as possible.
For extra accountability, share your script in the comments below! Let’s celebrate each others’ Day Ones.
Identity Magazine is all about empowering women to get all A’s in the game of life — Accept. Appreciate. Achieve.TM Every contributor and expert answer the Identity 5 questions in keeping with our theme. As a team, we hope to inspire and motivate ourselves and inspire you to get all A’s.
What have you accepted within your life, physically and/or mentally? What are you still working on accepting?
I accept that I’ve been more than a little whiny this winter and I’ve allowed it to be my blanket excuse for not showing up for myself these last few months. I accept that this is how it’s been and that I’m now ready to snap out of it.
What have you learn to appreciate about yourself and/or within your life, physically and mentally? What are you still working on to appreciate?
I sincerely appreciate my sassiness. I’ve recently embraced it as an important element in my work and my writing.
What is one of your most rewarding achievements in life? What makes YOU most proud? What goals and dreams do you still have?
The most rewarding achievement on my mind right now is the announcement of my upcoming unconventional conference in badassery called, “Audacity Camp.” This is a dream I’ve been sitting on for over a decade and this year I finally decided to throw caution to the wind and make it happen. So exciting!
We all have imperfections, so we think. The truth–we are all perfectly imperfect. What are your not-so-perfect ways? What imperfections and quirks create who you are–your Identity?
This article explores one of my imperfections – that even someone who dubs herself “The Audacity Coach” struggles to maintain tenacity sometimes. Humility is a great reminder that I’m human.
“I Love My…” is an outlet for you to express and appreciate all the positive traits that make you…well… YOU! Sharing what you love about yourself will make you smile, feel empowered, and uplift your spirit and soul. (we assure you!)
Identity challenges you to complete the phrase “I Love My…?
I Love My Generous Spirit!
