**Update: Here are the winners of our 6 DietBet entries: Me: Christy Cloer (Facebook), @alishabowling (Instagram), and April Sherlock (Twitter). Chris: Chelsi Byrnes (Facebook), @joshmagill (Instagram), and Carrie Sagel Burns (Twitter). We replied to your posts with the info on how to claim your free entry, so go check them right now! 😉 You have 24 hours to reply. Congratulations!
Every New Year?s Eve, Chris and I gather up our friends and family for a little resolutions party. It is without a doubt one of my favorite days of the entire year. Together, we hang out, set off fireworks, and laugh about the crazy adventures over the last year. Right before the New Year hits, we each write out individual resolutions on paper lanterns and release them into the sky. There is something so powerful about declaring your resolutions out loud to those closest to you. These kinds of promises, as opposed to silent promises, give us an added layer of accountability that we all need…including me!!
2015 has absolutely flown by, and I really can’t believe it’s that time of year again when at least 45% of us make those New Year?s Resolutions to lose weight, or save money, or get out of debt, or go back to school, or cross off that bucket list item…and on and on. Why is it, then, that on December 31st?364 short days later?only 8% of resolution makers are successful? Why do we have a hard time achieving any goal, no matter when we begin? Why is it so hard to do what we know we need to do? What quenched that burning fire we felt on day 1 of this ?fresh start,? and how can we reignite it and be successful goal achievers? It might take some trial and error to find your fire, but go for it?you?re so worth it!
Here are my six solutions for reigniting, and then keeping your goal-achieving fire burning brightly?with some motivational quotes thrown in for some extra kindling: 😉
1. Have a heart-to-heart conversation with yourself and ask?and answer?the hard questions: Why do I want to achieve this goal? How will my life be better by achieving it? If this is a repeat goal, why did I fall (because we never fail!) the last time? What will I do differently this time?
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. ~Unknown
The best goal has a deeper motivation?that burning fire you feel within: to get a better job, to be able to play with your kids without feeling like you?re going to die, to retire at a certain age, etc. And while a goal to fit into that pair of jeans might get you started, it?s probably not a long-term motivator. Find that ?burning fire? purpose and you?re good to go!
Purpose is the most powerful motivator in the world. ~Gandhi
2.? Prioritize:? If your calendar and to-do list don?t match up with your goal, you?ve got a problem.
You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage…to say ?no? to other things. And the way to do that is by having a bigger ?YES? burning inside. ~ Stephen Covey
Yes, you need to take care of life and the people in your life, but if your to-do list is full of too many low-priority ?other? things, you?ve lost your bigger, burning YES! Carefully prioritize your life and make sure those YESs are front and center.
3.? Replace fear with courage: The fear of failure is a huge fear we all have to deal with when committing to a goal, and the hardest part of reaching that goal is often convincing ourselves we can change even though we?re afraid! One of the easiest ways to find the courage amongst your fears is to make and keep one small Promise to yourself. Success ignites even more courage!
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all. ~Disney?s “The Princess Diaries”
4.? Celebrate every single success, no matter how small: Set up your own reward system?it works for kids, why wouldn?t it work for you?! Make your rewards something tangible, motivating, and goal-related, and remember that each tiny success makes that fire burn even hotter, so celebrate!
People who succeed have momentum. The more they succeed, the more they want to succeed, and the more they find a way to succeed. ~Tony Robbins
5.? Be realistic:
- Achieving this goal will definitely make your life better, but don?t make the mistake of thinking it will make life ?perfect.? If you do, you?re setting yourself up for a big fall.
- Be prepared to fall, and when you do, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and confess, reassess, and recommit to your goal. Remember: Falling is not failing!
- Get comfortable with feeling uncomfortable. Feeling comfortable is definitely a fire extinguisher!
Life is not meant to be lived in your comfort zone. ~Laurel Day
6.? Some other ways to keep that fire burning:
- Work on one goal at a time and make sure it?s a SMART Goal.
- If you don?t know where to start, do some research, ask others, and become a budding expert. For a weight loss goal, check out our Carb Cycling program?it works!
- Just begin. Focus on one small thing you can do today to move closer to your goal. Get on that treadmill for just 5 minutes, deposit $5 in a savings account, or look over your resume. One small thing.
- Prepare for and take care of small bumps in the road before they become huge roadblocks to your success.
Guys, I?ve got an amazing way for you to get a great start on that 2016 transformation goal, and it starts January 4th. Chris and I are hosting another?DietBet game??Get Lean in 2016 with Heidi & Chris Powell??and we?d love to have you on our Get Lean Team! It?s simple: Bet $30, lose 4% of your body weight in 30 days, and split the pot (which is growing every day, BTW!). What an awesome way to invest in yourself in more ways than one. 😉 Who?s in? Get all the info?here! And to give you a jump start on your 2016 transformation goals, I’m giving away three entries to our DietBet game! Here’s how to enter:
- Leave a comment below and tell me about one of your New Year’s Resolutions. And to make it really real, tell me one promise you’re going to make to yourself to help you achieve this goal!
- Make sure you’re following me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and then like this post on any of my channels. You can even share it if you feel so inclined. 😉
- You have until midnight, Sunday, January 3rd, to enter, and one winner will be randomly chosen from Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and announced here on Monday, January 4th.
And remember, finding your fire and keeping it burning brightly is all up to you?no one can do it for you. You got this! 🙂
Xoxo,
Heidi
1,283 Responses
My goal is to make healthier eating choices, which will cause my weight to go down.
My promise is that I will think before I eat. Is this the best food for me right now? Do I really need to eat this? Am I really hungry? Something to make me think about what I’m putting in my mouth and why I’m putting it there.
My resolution is to loose 40 pounds. I plan to put myself first in 2016. I want to get back the body I use to have.
I think I am finally mentally ready to get healthier. In the past I have wanted to be thinner or look better, but now I am really worried about my health and need to finally get this weight off. I have rheumatoid arthritis and high blood pressure, so it even more important to lose the weight and be a healthier version of myself.
My goal this year is to continue losing weight. I have lost 15 pounds so far and aim to keep going stronger next year. My promise to myself is to make better, consistent choices with food. I love your books, and the great encouragement that both of you offer!! Happy New Year!!
My new years resolution is to be more beneficially selfish,and in turn hoping to inspire my 16 yr old daughter who is struggling with her weight.I already started carb cycling,taking my daughter out running in the morning.Trying to love myself more in 2016.So i can be a better wife,and mom ?
One of my goals for 2016 is to be happier. Happier with myself, happier with my children and happier in my job. For me, one major thing ignites my happiness is my health; obviously both physical and mental but I have definitely been lacking the physical push lately. I am a single mom and I work full-time as well so I have been busy with a cross-country move, new career path and everyday life as well.
Ultimately my main goal for the first quarter of 2016 is to lose roughly 20 pounds (give or take because I want to lose the fat but also interested in getting stronger and building muscle). I am more interested in being healthy and feeling/looking good than the physical number. But I will be going on a journey of surrogacy for another family that cannot have a baby and that will most likely happen in March/April so I want to be in tip top shape prior so I can have the healthiest journey the remainder of 2016 and be able to keep up throughout the pregnancy as well!
I know this goal kind of branches out and covers many things, but a healthy body and healthy mind go hand in hand so it’s hard to limit the goals! =)
I went to see my nan yesterday, I’ve not seen her for 7 years. She didn’t answer the door 🙁 The reason for this is that she’s an alcoholic. The realisation of this has been hideous. I’ve lost two grandparents to alcohol, cancer & strokes. I drink too much and eat the wrong stuff but I seemingly can’t do it alone. I need to be part of something to change x
I was diagnosed with some chronic illnesses this past year. Eating is super hard, leaves me super bloated. My goal this year is staying focus on my business and figuring out what’s going on with my eating. No one can help and as much as I get frustrated I know I will find a way to eat with out feeling crapy. This will be an awesome year.
This is my year!! after three kids and 2 years of excuses my commitment is to not have any excuses. it’s up to me and no one else. I would love to be a part of this diet bet. I just got your book and I’m gearing up and preparing myself. 2016 and healthy mama here I come.
I’m not making a resolution, just going to do my absolute best one day at a time one meal at a time and live my new life CLEAN. sure there will be mishaps but the next meal is a new one. Start where you’re at and go full force!!! I’ve lost 100 lbs. highest weight was 355lbs. I still need to lose another 100lbs ??. I will get there one pound at a time. New year New You!!! Well ME!!!? Let’s do this Powell Family!!!