How many times have you set a New Years resolution that lasted for 6 weeks or less? When you’re done reading this article, you’ll have a strategy that’s a proven winner. If you adopt this strategy, you will set yourself up for success.
New Years resolutions begin with dreams of a better future. Some of the most common dreams we hear are losing weight, getting into better shape, getting into better health, and eating healthier. These dreams are the children of inspiration. In his famous “I have a dream” speech, Dr. King painted vivid pictures of what he wanted the future to look like. You should have an idea of what your future looks like to you. Make it as specific and detailed as possible. Include images if at all possible. Write it down. The absolute first step you should do with your New Years resolution should be to write it down and put it somewhere you can see it every day.
In order for the dream to become anything beyond a fairy tale, you have to add concrete goals. We use a program called S.M.A.R.T. goals at Monkey Bar Gym that has produced astonishing results for our members who go for it. As you build and refine your goals, you move from the inspiration zone to the motivation zone. You move a step closer and the fairy tale starts taking a physical form. One of my recent goals was “I have done 3,000 pull-ups and dips in 60 days”. Once you have figured out your goals, start advertising. Post it all over social media. Let people know what you are up to. Find people who will hold you to it. There is one more step that has to be taken to have an optimal success strategy.
The final step to make your goal successful is developing plans. A plan is the map to the treasure chest. In my case, my plan was to do 60 pull-ups a day for 6 days followed by a rest day. In order to accomplish this, I did 15-20 in the morning, 15-30 in the afternoon, and 15-20 in the evening. This was working awesome until I missed a couple days. I needed a contingency plan. What I ended up doing was upping my reps to 100 a day for 5 days a week to make up for the missed days. My sets kept getting stronger so the 60 scheme was a piece of cake at the end. You will need success plans. You will need to plan ahead of time what to do if you start to veer off course. You will need contingency plans. As you build and execute your plans, you move from the motivation zone to the dedication zone. This is where you really make progress to your goals. If you can stay in the dedication zone, you will see huge results in 2013. This can be your best year ever.
If you need help implementing this strategy, Monkey Bar Gym is kicking off a 60 day challenge on January 5th. The average person who signs up and dedicates themselves to the process loses 17 pounds of body fat and gains 5 pounds of muscle. We have honed and refined this process and we actively live this strategy in our personal lives. I believe wholeheartedly in the Home Depot mantra: “You can do it, we can help”.