Hello ,

Did you have a good break over Christmas and the New Year?  I hope you've have had a great start to the year.

I've given the newsletter a change in layout for 2015.  A cleaner, simpler look and hopefully easier for you to read.

At the beginning of the year many of us create New Year Resolutions - we're going to lose weight, get fit, earn more money, learn how to do something new.  Have you created any this year?

According to a recent study - over a third of people are looking to change jobs, another third want to work on their professional development and the rest want to improve their work/life balance.  (You can check your own Work/Life Balance here).

Many are starting to waver around now.  Most of us will have given up by mid February and only a few will actually achieve their goals.  How are you doing?

Give yourself time:

It takes 30-60 days or repetitions for a new behaviour to become a habit.  So if at first you don't succeed, don’t give up but get yourself back on track and keep going.

When you were learning to drive or to ride a bicycle it was hard work at first, took a lot of practice and attempts to get it right. Now you don't even think about what you're doing. It's become automatic.

• What would you like to do differently?
• How will you feel when you've achieved it?
• What will it look like?
• What one action can you take this week towards this?

Write it down:

Any resolution or goal becomes more real when you write it down.  You’ve got it out of your head where it’s just a thought or idea and put it on paper.

There’s more commitment when you put something in writing and it will also help you to clarify what you want and give you perspective.

Write down your successes and challenges as they occur - it will help you to stay motivated and get back on track.  Make a note of how you feel. Your positive moments will help you through the times when you feel less motivated.

Create a routine

If you have a routine it makes it easier to stick to a new habit. You can associate your new habit with an existing pattern of behaviour or something you enjoy doing.

• Do your daily planning with your morning cup of coffee.
• Put your gym kit out the night before, so there's less excuse not to do it.
• Make it enjoyable. Listen to a favourite piece of music while you do a boring or mundane task.
• Replace the routine of watching TV or surfing the net with reading, study or exercise.

Put a structure in place

If you're going to achieve your goals you need to make a plan.

What steps do you need to take to achieve your goals and objectives?  What do you need to support you and just as importantly, what's likely to stop you 

Even if it's just a simple one-page plan or checklist - it gives you a structure to work with and checklists are great for keeping you on track.

Tell someone

If you only keep your new habits to yourself, it’s easier to let yourself off the hook when you start to slip or don't achieve them.

However, when you’ve told someone else, you make more of a commitment to yourself and them.  You’ll feel more motivated and more likely to stick with it.

Share your resolutions with a friend, colleague, coach or mentor and they’ll help motivate you and keep going when your resolve starts to waiver or temptation presents itself.

Take small steps

You're more likely to succeed if you make small changes and take things slowly and gradually, rather than trying to change too much all at once.

Start with one small thing. Once you've got into a routine with one new habit you can add something else.

Remember - there's no quick fix - habits and new behaviours take time and effort.  Stick with it and see how you're doing in a month's time.

Reward your success

Celebrate your success along the way.  When you’ve put energy and effort into achieving your goal make sure you reward yourself when you complete it. Especially if you prefer the carrot rather than the stick.

Make the reward appropriate to your final goal.  Create smaller rewards to keep you motivated as you achieve each step.

• When you get a new job - holiday
• Reaching the next professional level - meal
• Hitting your target weight, fitness goal - pamper treat, day out​

Good luck with your resolutions and your plans for 2015.

If you want to achieve your goals and resolutions for 2015 - sign up for the Habit Mastery - 90 Days to create, implement and achieve your new habits.

DON'T FORGET: Until the end of the month you can still take advantage of the January Offer and book a Time Audit session.