Resolution Revolution

May the best goal win.

It’s here and so are you: resolution in hand, a list in your heart. 2017 welcomes us with the open arms and tremendous optimism that only a new year can.

And yet obstacles will come.

You already know the stats, millions before you have failed, and you can hear the old voices in your head that remind you of years past and goals that became ghosts. This does not dictate your future. Only you and you alone decide if your dreams come true or if they vanish as a wish once held by a version of you.

All month long and throughout the year, 24Life is here to help you discover and uncover what you need to move forward.

Here are three best practices to get you started.

Happy New Year. May it be your best ever.

1. Name your year

There is power in simplicity and even more power in your language. Regardless of how many goals you might have on your list (and less is more), find the through-line and choose your anchor goal. Name it and the quality of energy you need to become to bring it forward. While you’re at it, consider this great idea: famed speaker, author and naming coach Canon Wing suggests that you name your year to give it the significance, power and energy of what you intend your goals to bring forward. The founder of Inspiration to Millions teaches that “a name is a call to a greater future.” Naming your year gives you a filter for your everyday choices. Wing named this year #Big Moves; how will you name your year?

2. Turn your goal into a challenge

A quick way to up-level your goal is to transform it into a challenge. The difference between a goal and a challenge is, well, everything. A goal is the object of your ambition or the desired result, while a challenge is a call to action. A challenge calls for your participation and your full-out desire to achieve, to rise to the occasion. The best challenges are measurable: 24 days, 60 days or 90 days of commitment – all work to produce the highest levels of performance. Choose a time-bound period and commit to a new behavior, with a clear result in mind: for example, getting to bed at the same time each night. You can also challenge yourself to a daily action like taking a walk, or a behavioral characteristic that you want to adopt, like kindness or even abstention from a specific activity. (Try giving up sugar!) Whatever it is, it must ladder up to a long-lasting behavioral change. To ensure that you stick to it, make sure it has novelty, stimulates your mind and stretches your abilities.

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And if you can find a like-minded community to join in your journey, research shows that you will be that much farther on your way to your goal.
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3. Create a morning routine

The year to come is a collection of days; it’s up to you how you spend them in pursuit of your dreams of health and happiness. A good day that’s well-spent requires thoughtful consideration and preparation. One thing all high performers have in common is a morning routine that they follow without fail. You need one too. The most effective morning routines combine some form of meditation, reading, journaling or writing, movement, self-care and nourishment. Some routines are intricate and take half a day, while others like Peter Diamandis and Tony Robbins achieve their morning business in less than an hour. Your routine needs to be realistic and repeatable, and you should find personal pleasure in it, so take time to consciously craft it and transform it in to your personal system to kick off your day. Goals depend on habits, and setting a new habit is a behavioral change process that requires replacing specific behaviors with new, preferably positive ones. It’s essential to look forward to how you start your day and especially, to ensure that your start sets you off on the right foot.

Models: Mike Eubank and Lena Tran – 24 Hour Fitness.