**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
One thing I am doing in 2015 to reach my goals is believing in myself. I have struggled for years with infertility and was so excited to find out I was pregnant. However, I sadly lost the pregnancy and it sent me into a dark place that only made my weight issues worse. I used to always tell myself that it was my fault and that I would never be the beautiful person I wanted to be. However, you and Chris have empowered me so much through your blog, show, and instagrams. It is time to believe in myself and do what I know I am able to do. I will be strong and I will not only eventually reach my goal weight but I will keep it off and continue to fight to hold my baby one day.
My whole life I have struggled with my weight, and last year it got so bad that it lead to my wife and me getting a divorce. I?m tired of excuses and being unhappy, and since January 1st of this year I am no longer going to live in the past or let anything hold me back. It?s time for me to be happy and to make a change. I weighed myself at the gym here in Albuquerque that I have started going to and I was crushed to see my total weight. I am 27 years old and when I saw that I weighed 473 lbs I was in total dismay. I have already begun dieting since last month and actually weighed myself at the Doctors office on December 9th where I weighed in at 495 lbs. My goal is to continue losing weight and giving it my all. Sticking to my diet and working out is all that I am focused on right now. I am going to the gym every day for about 2 to 4 hours and I won?t stop until I am truly happy with myself. God bless you Heidi, both you and your husband are my inspiration and motivation. #22lbsDown273MoreToGo
One of my changes for 2015 is to start meal prepping and avoid bad snack habits! I had lost 90 lbs but the last year I just stayed consistent and did not gain. It is time for me to get back to losing again!
2014 was the first year I’ve made resolutions and actually stuck to them!! Thanks to Chris & Heidi for their encouragement and insight. For 2015, I’m going to continue to surround myself with friends and family so we can support each other and kep up the momentum. My goal was to run a 5k and I ended up actually completing a 10k in 2014!! This year has limitless possibilities! 🙂
My goals for this year are all health related. I discover I have an autoimmune disease so getting my body healthy again is important. I am not a runner but I want to run 2 races. One, a mile charity run. Two the Bolder Boulder 10k. Pluses lose 40 lbs. Those are my goals.
I plan on finishing the journey to health I started last year! So far I’m down 70 lbs, and have 50 more to goal. My husband and I started reading your husbands book, choose more, lose more for life! On the first of this year we started carb cycling and I started working out again ( those 9 min missions are crazy! Lol) I’m sore and fighting through cravings but I know in a week or so we will be rocking this program! Thanks for all of the inspiration!!!
So with the past few months, after I had my baby, I was determined to get into shape, better shape than pre baby! I don’t have the money to have a personal trainer or even a gym membership. & especially not for a fancy at home work out & nutrition plan which would’ve been perfect. But I wasn’t going to let that stop me. I just started with what I could get my hands on. Pinterest was great for finding little work outs. For food I just stuck to the basics trying to stick with protien, veggies and fruit. I’ve really seen a change! My body is stronger and I love the way I feel! Although I’m not exactly where I want to be I know I’m on to something good! I could use this to help me learn more and get to where I want to be! Heidi you have also kept me motivated and determined! You are such. Great role model an when I get down sometimes I’ll watch an episode of Extemem make over and it totally give me the boost I need! So thank you! Your story inspires me.
Cassie 🙂
Two things I am doing in 2015 are quoting any kind of soda beverages and drinking more water! I have been doing this for 3 days and just the water i’m drinking makes my body feel so much better! Also in 2015 i need to start attending the gym I have been paying for without going. I have a big house move coming up and trying my best to build my schedule around all of it. Thank you and Chirs for the inspiration, you guys are awesome and you have such an adorable family! A wonderful 2015 for all of you! and good luck everyone with their journey! 😀
Love the idea of a resolutions party…so fun!! Like so many, I have weight loss goals this year and I’m setting smaller individual goals to hit along the way. These include no soda, running in at least 6 5k’s, logging what I eat, and exercising for at least 5 hours a week.
I have come so far to continue to struggle. I often feel when I’m trying on clothing, I look the same as when I was 130 lbs heavier. I know I don’t, but the way we view our selves can be brutal. I know I am healthier, and have more energy, it just getting past what I see in the Mirror. When I was heavier, I hated when someone would say they gained 5 lbs!! Really 5 lbs!! But…. now I can relate. Its amazing how, 5,10,or even 15 lbs can really make a difference on how you look and feel about yourself. So, I feel I’ve come to far to still feel “fat” I don’t want to feel this way anymore. I’m choosing a better attitude because I deserve to feel good about myself. My plan.. I booked a tropical vacation.Not any tropical vacation, but a New Kids On The Block Cruise!!! (I’m sure you love them as much as I do #StillLoveBoybands) What better way to work towards a goal! Its a win win. This vacation will help me stay on target. I look forward to getting out and getting active to reach my goal.