**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
As I have begun this new year I really sat down to help figure out what got me to this point. To help me reach my goals for the year I have decided to begin daily motivation to help me remember why I am on the path that I am and to help relieve stress. I have been an emotional eater in the past so the meditation will help keep those emotions in check. I also have found a great park a mile away from my home that has a great walking path that is about 2.5 miles. I have decided to go walk that in the mornings to help get me going for the day. With a wedding in oct. I need to do this so that we can start our lives together in a healthy way!!!
My 2015 goal is to run my first 5K in 20 years!! My husband and I are doing your plan together and I”m within 10 lbs of my high school weight. I’m working through a weight plateau now, but I have the “fire” to succeed no matter what! I’m committed to making fitness and healthy eating a priority and modeling this for my teenage daughters. Progress NOT perfection!
This year I am going to make sure I am lifting weights at least 3 days a week. I’m a mom of 4. I teach Zumba 3 times a week and go to other classes but I don’t always take the time to lift weights. I am turning 40 this year and I want to be in the best shape of my life!
Hey there! I’m excited to be in on this dietbet with yall! I’ll be cutting out refined sugars and flours and sticking to more natural foods. I’ll also increase my monthly running mileage from 9 miles to 13 miles!
This year my resolution is to put myself first. I have always made resolutions about losing weight and although I did loose 30 lbs last year I still have a very long way to go and now I know the reason why my resolutions have failed before. It’s because as women and nurturers we try and take care of everything and everyone before we take time for ourselves. This year I will be selfish with my time and take care of my body and my health and put myself first for a change.
My resolution is to become healthier. That’s why I’ve started my own business to help me. I eventually want to be a mom, and I need to get my body healthy to carry a baby and be a good example. I also want to be a healthy wife for my husband. My long term goal is to run a marathon. However, I don’t run. So I’m starting. Part of my becoming healthier plan. I’m excited for what 2015 has in store for my hopefully growing family.
My resolution for this year is to, like most people, lose some pounds. I want to do it a healthy way. Last year I cut out processed food from our dinner plans, which wasn’t hard, since I am a pretty good cook. I also added in working out. What sabotages me, is weekends where me and friends usually drink to much. Which THAT is affecting my weightless. Not this year. So watching my alcohol intake along with caffeine. I am starting my carb cylcing plan Monday. These first few days I am doing a juice cleanse to help with the caffeine detox LOL Good luck to everyone!!
I am going to be more active in 2015 — both physically and mentally. I have 4 specific goals/challenges that I have signed up for. 1. Your diet bet beginning Jan 5 to get me started. 2. Run/Walk 2,015 miles in 2015. 3. Very specifically, run a 2.5 mile dirt trail near me that I have had my eye on — without stopping to walk. 4. Tracking, blogging and participating with my LoseIt.com app and team Mission Slimpossible.
I’m going to restart my yoga practice!
i have decided it is time to make time for me. I am a mom of two young kiddos and I am a middle school teacher. My life revolves around making sure the other people (kids) in my life are taken care of and cared for. I put myself last. My husband works long hours and is gone for weeks at a time. I decided two months ago to take step 1 towards my 50lb weight loss goal and I got a gym membership and started going 3-5 days a week. My step 2 is my goal and that is to return to the carb cycling diet and work on implementing heal thing eating back into my life. Because I deserve it and so do my kids! I know I can make my goal by making myself a priority and keeping my promises. No more excuses! Thank you for your inspirations and help for everyone reaching for their dreams!!!