**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
I have two resolutions. 1- to get healthy. I’m going to set small goals each couple months. 2- spend more time with my kids. We’re getting our own place soon so that will help.
I know a lot of people make fitness goals at the beginning of every year and usually I do but this year I’d like to do something different. My husband and I have always been passionate about fitness. we are no where near where we would like to be but at least we have a drive to keep ourselves in shape. For 2016 I want to increase my drive and passion in other aspects of my life. 2015 was a great year but was also very challenging for my little family. And for 2016 I really want to focus on my relationship with my husband. Being a mom of a one year old, my husband being in pharmacy school full time and working part time, I just feel like our lives are on two separate tracks sometimes. So, the first small step I’m taking to improve our marriage is to go to bed when he does. I’ve noticed when we go to bed at the same time, we talk more, joke more, and are definitely more intimate 😉 so that’s my New Years resolution…BE with my husband more 🙂 my husband has signed up for your diet bet so I would love to win this so I can do it with him and support him in this! I love following you and Chris on social media and I appreciate how real and honest you are. It’s really refreshing. And not to mention your kids…my goodness they are to die for cute!
My goal is to lose 20lb. I have scoliosis and due to some digestive medications I was prescribed, I am now battling back from negative effects of onset osteoporosis. Losing this weight and finding a sustainable healthier lifestyle through diet management, cardio and weight training will help me achieve these goals. Being quite on my own in my diet journey has been hard and being part of diet bet would be phenomenal. You are my true inspiration Heidi as Chris is to my husband. To have even the opportunity to try is monumental. Thank you.
My promise to myself…forgot to put in original post,…to workout daily,..not just once or twice and make excuse the rest of the days.
After my 2nd back surgery, resulting in being medically retired from the military. I was told I CANNOT do this or shouldn’t do that. I let it effect how I lived my life. I have moved on from the fact I will not be who I was physically and mentally, but I can be a better version of who I currently am. Like many of us, we have children or someone who relies on us.
My commitment to myself is to better myself in all ways possible and be the positive role model my children need and deserve. I will not let my limitations define me and will show my children that although people may be limited in their physical abilities, they can still do amazing things.
I started my resolution 3 months ago actually. Which of course was losing weight. I was 200lbs, now I am 175 at 5’3″. My NY Resolution is to continue pushing towards my 125 goal and not to give up! If I make it there I’m doing a total rehaul of my closet! (Money permitting haha) but I will at least buy a new sexy outfit ?
I have been struggling the last few months to loose those last few stubborn pounds that never seem to go away (aka: muffin top) no matter how hard I try. I am so committed to the gym part of a healthy lifestyle but I am always cheating in my nutrition which is always a set back.. My goal is to learn about proper nutrition in 2016..
best wishes in the new year to all the Powell pack!!!
The bottom line for me is that I need to find my fire again. I have succeeded before in the past & for 2013 & 2014 I was able to maintain my New Years goals & achieve things I never thought possible. My goals accomplishment was training & completing a full marathon. My fire those 2 yrs was to rid my body of the baby weight I clearly saw in every picture & felt in my clothing. I picked me during those 2 yrs & I felt great & amazing. So, what changed? I went back to work full time & I’ve truly never found a good balance again. I tried for the longest time to juggle my new work schedule, be the best mom & wife possible & continue to be devoted to my workouts but I lost my focus on me. In 2015, I found myself continuing to run half marathons (3 in fact) with very little training. But despite my lack of training I saw an increase in my husband’s & ran every race with him. My last race of the year was a Disney challenge race at Disneyland, where we did 19.3 miles in 2 days. Again, I survived & was thankful to have shared the experience with my husband but I was horribly sore & in so much pain all because I didn’t focus on me. I allowed those things that are not important take priority in my life. Nevertheless, I learned that I can run & finish most races without training. So, I decided to put my running shoes away for at least the 1st 3 months of 2016 & joined a local Physique challenge to build muscle & finally attack the last 30lbs I need to lose. I need this for many reasons but mostly because I question whether or not I can ever truly lose the last 30lbs. I worked so hard for 2 yrs & could never dip into losing the last 30lbs. 2016 is here & I’m ready to correctly prioritize my life so that burning passion within be ignited again.
While I hope to lose a significant amount of weight that I have put on in the past three years since having my two beautiful daughters, that is not my resolution. My resolution for 2016 is start living a healthier lifestyle not only for myself but for my husband and kids too. Eating real food instead of processed, exercising and taking care of my body are things that will help the weight and that will shape me into a healthy lifestyle.
2015 was termultueous for me. I started a phd program and got lost in the list of thing I had to, which also meant I lost my balance. Eating healthy has become a necessary in my life due to GI issues that flame up if I don’t eat healthy. Exercise, on the other hand, seems to fall on the way side when I get lost in the daily nuances of life. My goal for 2016 is focused more on balance. First, I will exercise 3 times a week. Now I know some may think – really that’s it. Don’t get me wrong, I hope to do 5-6 times a week! However, I want to stay realistic and I want to achieve this goal! Thus, three times a week – come rain or shine, healthy or sickness – I will exercise three times a week to help keep myself balanced. I will also daily read the word of God. I hope through these two things I will find a greater balance in my life!
I’ve already started my journey and over the past 2 months I’ve lost just under 20 lbs. I plan to be reignited on Monday and my husband and I have decided to join the local Community center and meet there every other day after work to do a work out. I plan to learn better cooking and planning menus that will be better for our health issues. I want to lose the weight but most of all I want to reduce the amount of medications I have to take. It’s time to take control at 58 years old. I want to make my goal before October 1st when I will be at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.