Happy New Year! It’s usually the time when we write down our resolutions to start off the new year on the right path. Some of us may want to exercise more or eat healthier or be more mindful. However, if you want to keep these resolutions instead of abandoning them a few weeks later, you may want to ask yourself these three questions –
These questions may be simple and easy for you to answer – it’s either a resounding YES or an emphatic NO! Yet some of you may find yourself in the middle, feeling hesitant about making a lifestyle change.
Are you Ready?
When you go on a journey of self-change, what you would typically experience is a staged process. It’s a process that determines your readiness for change. It goes from not at all interested in making a change to already maintaining the change you started six months ago. The ‘science-y’ term for it is the Transtheoretical Model of Change. I experienced these stages – from precontemplation to maintenance – after making lifestyle changes to lessen my risk for Type 2 diabetes. You can read the details about the TTM stages in this previous post, Stages of Behavior Change towards Wellness, if you feel inclined to learn more about it.
Are you Willing?
Your willingness to put the effort towards achieving your goals depends on its level of importance. Is it the most important thing in your life at the moment? One way to determine is to have a visual representation with a scoring ruler and place the importance on a rating scale. Where did you place your goals? Why did you rate it a 7 instead of a 6? If it’s only as important as the other things you’d like to achieve, then you might find it hard to continue to do it when problems arise.
Are you Able?
Confidence plays a big role in your ability to accomplish your goals. When your confidence beams, it’s likely that you will be successful. But how do you increase your confidence? Look back to your past achievements and identify your innate strengths. We all have them. It’s what comes naturally to you and energizes you to move forward. I’ve taken a couple of surveys to determine my strengths – a free online survey you may be familiar with is the VIA Signature Strengths questionnaire where it identifies your top five strengths known as your ‘signature strengths’. If you haven’t taken it yet, go to this LINK and find out what your signature strengths are.
Now that you’ve answered these questions, which of the resolutions you wrote down are you READY, WILLING, and ABLE to do? Share with us in the comments!
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I love this. It is so simple, and so true! I have some goals for the year – some big and some small – and I can honestly say my answer to these three questions is a resounding yes!
Wonderful to hear you are ready, willing and able to achieve your 2019 goals!!
Confidence does make a big difference. I’m so ready to prioritize my goals and make 2019 a great year!
Cheers to an awesome year!
Those are all definitely great questions to ask when making goals! I’m hoping to work on my workout consistency, drinking more water, and decreasing the amount of sugar in my diet!
We can easily ignore the importance of hydration. Good to hear you want to be more consistent with it.
I love this! Especially the ‘are you able’ part. I think sometimes in the past, I’ve been too ambitious with certain goals given an injury or other limiting factor – and then it ends up making me feel like a failure. Whereas if i’d assessed this before, I could have tempered my expectations a bit!
Thanks Chrissy! It does help with setting more realistic goals.
I can confidently answer yes to all these questions. It’s a shift in mindset for me. I want to achieve my goals so badly that I am now ready, willing and able to put in the time and effort (not just physically, but also mentally) that it will take to do so. I will likely have to re-ask myself these or variations of these questions throughout the journey but I’m GOING to do it this year.
In fact yesterday my trainer said during intervals “you only have to do do one more” and then said “well, have to…” and I answered , “no. I have to. this is what I want”. So YES, I’m there, right now, ready, willing and able.
Yes Renee! I can sense the determination in your words. The right mindset will help you get over the barriers.
I’m ready for a great 2019…my big thing is to reduce the amount of sugar I’m (practically) ingesting. Ugh…it’s gonna be tough, but I know if I can get through the first few weeks, I’ll be able to continue.
It’s definitely challenging when your palate is programmed to love all the sweet things. But as you know, small changes make a big difference!
Yes, yes and yes! I am really going to work on making things like drinking water and eating better a priority. I also know that I have to focus more on cross training and once the kids are back in school, it’s time to get back in the gym!
Let’s do this!
Jenn, I hear your enthusiasm!
These are great questions to help be honest about your goals. I will have to test my goals this way.
Yes it does keep you honest! And makes the goals realistic.