So it is that time of year again. New year is upon us and many people will be making new years resolutions. Do you? If you do how many do you make and do you manage to achieve them through the year?
There is a lot of anecdotal evidence out there that says most new years resolutions fall by the wayside, that new year new you gives you excitement and positivity going into the new year but then is often used as a stick to beat yourself up with when you don’t achieve them. Sound familiar? I used to set myself all sorts of resolutions, some easier to achieve than others. One year I decided I wanted to meditate for 30 minutes a day, at least, completely ignoring the fact that I had two young children, a puppy, a husband, I was studying and completing placement AND working! Needless to say it never happened!
None of this isn’t to say that you shouldn’t set yourself a resolution, I am all for making changes however, as I always say, change that lasts often comes in small steps and how can I (or you) expect a massive lifestyle change without planning in the in between bits first? When you go on a journey most people don’t just start from A with the intention of getting to Z at some point, usually you have a plan, a route, of how you will get there, so why not apply this to resolutions as well? Decide what you want your end goal to be then plan how you want to get there in smaller steps. NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) has a great format for helping you to plan how to achieve something. Its not SMART as many of you may be thinking but POSSEE.
POSSEE sets you questions to think about, honestly, to help you create achievable outcomes;
Positively – what do you want – frame it in a positive way and be specific.
Own it – What will you do to start and maintain your action to achieve your outcome?
- What can you do to bring your outcome about by your own actions?
- What can you do to influence the outcome?
- What do you need to do to achieve this outcome?
- Does the outcome rely solely on you?
Specifically – Where, when, what (resources), how and with whom will you achieve your outcome?
Size – Is the outcome the right size to be achievable (is it too big or too small?)
End – How will you know when you have achieved your outcome?
- What will you see, hear and feel?
Ecology – how will the outcome fit in with your life?
- How will it affect you? Other people in your life?
- Are there any downsides to achieving it?
- Who else would be affected by you having this?
How can you plan to offset the consequences?
Could this work for you to set yourself some resolutions?
If you do set some however remember not to beat yourself up if you don’t achieve exactly what you want to achieve, maybe it isn’t the right time for you to do that? Be kind to yourself. Take some time out then dust yourself off, re-evaluate where you are and where you want to go, remember we can all get lost sometimes (particularly if you have a rubbish sense of direction like me!) on our way, maybe it isn’t about being lost, maybe it’s a scenic detour.
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