The New Year is the line between the past and the future, into which we look with hope and desire, if not to start a new life, then at least to make positive changes in our present. There is one wonderful New Year's tradition - making a wish during the chimes. But the desires are not fulfilled for those who are inactive, so we will find out and achieve it.
Only in fairy tales can happiness fall on Emelya lying on the stove. In reality, if you do nothing, then you may not find happiness. Absolutely everything has its price. Material price or not, one way or another, in order to get something, you have to give something.
Our goals should lie only in our area of responsibility, since we will pay for them - with effort, time, money. Setting a fitness goal is like a very profitable investment. Firstly, you invest in your health, beauty, and youth. Secondly, slim people always make a good impression, author Ekaterina Golovina. Thirdly, if you achieve your goal on your own, you will strengthen your character, gain confidence and be able to cope with any obstacles. Isn't that cool?
We have already touched on the technical aspects, and now let's focus on the practical nuances of how to set a goal for the new year.
- Make a decision. Just decide for yourself that it’s time to change something in this life, and it’s best to start with yourself - change your habits, appearance, expand your social circle and horizons in general, try something new, become a different person. In terms of fitness, it doesn’t matter what stage you are at, what matters is your desire and willingness to improve yourself.
- Set big and small goals in a relationship so that the small ones lead to the big ones. This is not easy to do, since you will practically have to work out a plan for your actions, but it is necessary, because life is unpredictable and without a plan you will simply get lost on the way to what you want.
- Make a commitment. This is the price to pay for achieving a goal. Decide what you are willing to give. For example, you decide to go to the gym. Great, then write down how many hours a week you can train. Write down point by point what and to what extent you are ready to put on the altar of your desire, but do not take on too many obligations, but only what you can do regularly.
- Consider force majeure. Any plan must be flexible, because we are not robots and life is unpredictable. Any kind of danger could be waiting for you, and you should know how to act in unforeseen circumstances.
- Find a reason why you are doing this. It is the reason for our actions that is the strongest motivation. Everything else - the external simply inspires us, but the true reason is always inside.
So, you have set a goal for the new year and drawn up an action plan, you are full of hope and believe that you can achieve all this, but with the end of the holiday weekend you will be faced with a cruel reality - daily responsibilities, work and some other things that just don’t work out. don’t fit in with what you planned for New Year’s Eve.
What to do?
Don’t waste time and think through a strategy on rest days.
- Find a good workout program. Based on how many days you can train, and be patient, as you will see the first results after 6-8 weeks of regular training.
- Coordinate your nutrition with your training program and goal. Even the best workout program will not save you from the consequences of poor nutrition. Everything must be subordinated to one goal. Do you want to lose weight? Okay, create a diet, eat whole foods, control your carbs, exercise regularly and more.
- Don't waste time on trial and error. Contact a coach; don’t be afraid to ask for advice from those who know better than you. Explore your body and its capabilities, increase your knowledge about fitness in every possible way - read books, blogs, studies, etc.
- Control your success. Take photos, measure your body fat and percentage, keep a training diary to see how much your fitness, strength, endurance is improving, and a food diary if necessary.
- If all else fails, then reconsider your goals. This is advice for the future, since (I repeat for the third time) life is unpredictable and any strategy needs to be re-evaluated.
Keep your 2015 strategy in sight. It doesn’t matter whether it’s in a diary or in a frame, the main thing is that you see what you have to do next, otherwise during the year you risk missing something important, and most importantly, be persistent and in the new year you will achieve your goals!
We all like to promise that we will definitely start a new life on Monday, tomorrow, or with the onset of the new year. But we don’t do anything!
We tried to figure out how to finally achieve our goals and make our dreams come true. Starting from now...
1. List. You probably dream about a lot, but you never realize it. Therefore, create a list of intentions for the next year, be determined. Keep a separate notebook and write down point by point everything you want to achieve in the next year.
It is advisable to put not all goals on the list, but 2-3, because many of our dreams can be realized in just a few days! Then cross it off the list and add the next one there. Global goals require a lot of effort and time, so they need to be given your attention first.
2. First steps. Every day you will need to take small steps towards achieving your goals. And, of course, you need to write down what you did today in order to get closer to your dream. Maybe they signed up for a gym, language courses, or started applying for a foreign passport.
3. Positive attitude. To seriously achieve your goal, you need to get rid of negative attitudes from your head. Don't think that you won't succeed! As soon as your brain gives out doubts and fears, immediately change them to phrases according to which everything will work out for you.
Repeat positive beliefs about your dreams daily. Of course, you won’t get far on beliefs alone, but with the right actions, encouraging statements will only help you achieve what you want!
4. Vision board. Surely you have heard about this board, on which your dreams and goals for the next year should be in photographs. Hang it in a visible place, preferably in front of your bed, so you can always see it. With the help of visualization, you can help your dream come true very soon.
5. Let go of the situation. This may sound quite absurd, but it is true. Don't frantically grab onto your dream, let it float freely. Take steps towards achieving it, but also try to be distracted, relax, and not mock yourself.
Felix Demin
Entrepreneur, traveler, surfer.
Many people ask how I manage to run several business projects in different countries (while living in Bali), travel around the world (54 countries), do 39 workouts a month (surfing and Workout), 25 meditations, read 14 books, master 25 English lessons, introduce two new habits, study 110 articles and videos on self-education, master one new skill, while devoting enough time to relationships and being happy every day.
I believe that sharing valuable knowledge is important and necessary, and I am giving you the most valuable of my experiences.
The purpose of this article is to be useful to you and make your life better. Anyone who learns something useful and applies it in their life will become a better version of themselves.
I’m sharing what I’ve come to so far through a compilation of other systems and ideas, experiments and work on creating my own system over the years.
Setting goals
This is how my time was distributed studying English in February:
1. New words added through the site - 2,650. Learn 300 new words.
2. Vocabulary - 8,746 words.
3. Hours on the site - 41 hours.
4. TED - 40 videos (40 + 2 in Russian).
5. Read at least one book: Eliezer Yudkowsky. New book: A Girl Corrupted by the Internet is the Summoned Hero? (4 hours 20 minutes).
6. Watch a video of what I usually watch: at least 8 hours in English.
7. Movies and TV series:
- The Revenant - 2 hours 30 minutes;
- Elementary (season 4, episodes 10–12) - 120 minutes;
- Titanic - 90 minutes; 90 minutes have not yet been watched;
- Deadpool - 1 hour 50 minutes;
- Zootopia - 1 hour 45 minutes;
- Gods of Egypt - 2 hours 7 minutes;
- Walking Dead (season 6, episode 11) - 40 minutes.
Total: 12 hours 22 minutes.
8. Conversation practice with foreigners: 21 hours 30 minutes.
9. University of California at San Diego. Course Learning How to Learn: Powerful Mental Tools to Help You Master Tough Subjects (3 hours 10 minutes).
Total for the month: 82 hours 22 minutes.
I also add one-time tasks to this folder. Usually these are articles, reviews, TED videos, useful and other materials related to self-development.
Google Chrome has a handy extension for Wunderlist. You can quickly create a task. It will end up in the desired folder with the name of the web page and a link to it. This way you can save all valuable articles and materials and take into account the time spent on them per month.
On average, I spend 10 minutes on this task. At the end of the month, I open completed tasks in the “Self-Development” folder and count how many there are, refreshing my memory of everything that turned out to be useful for me this month.
Skills folder
I made a list of skills that I want to have by the end of the year and distributed them by month. To consolidate old skills, they are given a cyclical task repeated once a month.
I spend at least 120 hours on business development. At the end of the month, I analyze what gives the greatest ROI. I also consider what ideas I have implemented, what the results are from them, what can be removed from the routine, and what training is most effective.
For each day I write a report in this format:
- N: 1 hour. We called Mikhail to automate calculations.
- A: 1 hour. I started reading a book on scripts from a scriptologist whom Asimov recommended, thought about it and wrote problems.
There are three task formats:
- T - turnover - repetitive tasks, the implementation of which I try to minimize.
- N - new and useful tasks that are related to the development of the company, launching new projects, developing and creating something new.
- O - training. This includes articles, trainings, and books on business. I always try to learn something new and useful, which I immediately implement into business and life.
At the end of the month I summarize the time and different types of tasks. I analyze what has been accomplished and what hasn’t, adjust the plan and draw it up for the next month.
Habits folder
I usually choose 2-3 healthy habits for a month and implement them. I write down in notes how the process is going. If it doesn’t work, I write down the reasons and eliminate some habits.
Every month I check the entire list of habits I have already acquired and how they are observed. If I don’t comply with them, then I analyze and decide what to do about it.
Relationships folder
This folder contains all the people who are significant to me: with whom I will communicate, regardless of where I am, with whom I will always be happy.
In “New Acquaintances” there is a description of the key moments of meetings, ideas, places with people with whom I met and talked for the first time.
“Not regular” are meetings with people who are not included in the list with a separate name.
I am writing all this to understand the development of my relationship.
Diaries
I write journals for awareness and to track how I change over the years, to preserve the moments of my life, to practice formulating thoughts in writing, which, in my opinion, is useful for many reasons.
I write every day, but in different diaries in different ways. Now I have about 9 diaries for specific purposes:
- Personal diary.
- Gratitude journal.
- Relationship diaries.
- Diary of happiness.
- Diary of Truth.
- Health diary.
- Diary of a Surfer.
- Mindfulness and Meditation Journal.
- Training diary.
Thanks to the diaries, I was able to analyze the last years and did not find a single day when I was in a bad mood. For myself, I derived the formula for happiness from my lifestyle and habits. Following it, I manage to be happy.
It is very important for me to live happily. What I do gives me incredible pleasure. Seeing every day how I develop, how every day I get closer to the mission of my life - all this makes me truly happy.
Life is a boat floating on a river. You, of course, will sail along it, but you can take the oars, map and compass into your own hands to steer the boat. Or you can just watch where the river of life takes you.
Drawing up a personal life plan for self-development using an example.
Why make a plan
The point of making a plan for the year is to live a happier year than without a plan. The plan should lead us along the path of a happy life. Support our growth above ourselves. Expand our capabilities and grow our self-image.
The annual plan structures our development and pushes us lightly in the back when we stop. It should contain goals, the achievement of which is significant for us. It is extremely valuable to be effective; the annual plan serves this task.
And “keeping goals in mind” is a slingshot that smoothly turns into a TV remote control.
I've been planning goals for 5 years now. To convince you of the benefits of drawing up a plan and not clutter up the article, it is difficult for me to give not hundreds, but just one strong argument. I heard that everyone wants to “travel and lie under a palm tree.” Without work is a boring fairy tale. So I work and live in palm countries 260 days a year.
The plan must expand our freedom, and not squeeze us into the framework of old and imposed goals. If our lives are constrained: the obligation to earn a living or to work towards other people's goals, then it will be more far-sighted to make a plan to change our lives.
Basic principles of life planning
At the first stage, we make a draft list of goals. It’s convenient to start collecting goals and taking a closer look at them in December. You can test them to see if they suit you; if it’s vocals, go for a trial lesson.
But even before starting to draw up a plan, it is useful to accept the principles so that moving according to the plan will be a joy:
Target Sources
The main source of goals for the year is our personal meaning in life.. If we have compiled it, it will be much easier for us in the future: to determine what is valuable to us in the year and what to discard. Or we will start from the idea of what we want to achieve in 5 years. I give abbreviated examples.
My draft version of the personal meaning of life: figure out “Who am I?” and where I am.
Goals for the year: read books on psychology, philosophy, religion. Expand the “I” – unusual behavior, roles, habits, self-image, travel.
Results of year planning
We don't know what will happen in a year. We can be wrong about our desires. Example – we planned to move to the city center, but went abroad. The plan was not fulfilled - we just changed.
We are making a plan for the New Year. If it comes true, we will be delighted. And an unfulfilled plan will remain in our head as an unpleasant burden. That's why we're cunning.
The plan for the beginning of the year is taken as 100%. We fill that 25% of free space with new goals. We consider everything based on the original plan, and additional goals are considered as exceeding the plan.
A plan is necessary so that we feel better, so that it fills us with the will to move forward, and does not slow us down. An order of magnitude more will happen in life than is written in the plan. Unplanned meetings with friends, spiritual gatherings, some joyful moments. But they will not be taken into account in the plan. Remember that moving according to plan is part of life, not all of life.
What matters is not the correct plan, but the planning of life itself.
What needs to be done before the New Year to make the whole year successful? Firstly, change the attitude in your mind “how you celebrate the New Year is how you will spend it” to the attitude “what goals you set at the end of the year, these are the ones you will achieve.” Today we will talk about goals.
To achieve a goal, you need to set it correctly.
Setting the right goals
The goal must be clear and specific
For example, increase income to 120,000 rubles per month. This is a specific goal. If you set a goal to earn a lot or simply increase your income, you are unlikely to budge. There are no specifics, the consciousness does not understand, a lot - how much? Tell him exactly how much.
Determining the optimal timing
For example, receive an income of 120,000 rubles monthly from October 2018. If the amount is still large and distant for you, but you want to earn exactly that much, then you can break the goal into subgoals. Let’s say, earn 70,000 rubles by February, 80,000 rubles by May, 100,000 rubles by July, etc.
The goal must be within your reach
If you set goals that are obviously impossible to achieve, then you will not achieve them. When setting goals, consider all your capabilities, potential, abilities and skills. Evaluate yourself adequately.
Action Plan
In the plan, you will lay out point by point everything that needs to be done to achieve the goal. What are the specific steps? Maybe take some courses, learn something new, meet someone, talk, etc.
We move towards the goal every day
To realize your plans, you need to regularly perform certain actions and steps that bring you closer to your goal. An athlete trains every day to become a winner.
Goal setting notebook
Keep a notebook in which you write down all your goals, action plan and strategies. When we write down goals on paper, they are realized faster and easier. By writing something down, the mind immediately begins to process it. In addition, you will always see goals in front of your eyes.
Be decisive!
You may face obstacles. Never give up. You cannot achieve your goal by lying on the couch. There are no victories without defeats! Mendeleev failed the university entrance exams five times. However, it was he who created the table of chemical elements.
What prevents you from achieving your goals
Why do you think many people set goals, but only a few achieve them? There is a goal, a plan, a strategy, actions, but there is no result. It's all about negative thoughts that prevent you from getting closer to your goal.
We remove negative thoughts that interfere with the goal
This is an effective and fun technique by V. Zealand. Imagine a vacuum cleaner. Try to see it in detail - color, size, etc. It is desirable that it be large. It has two buttons, two hoses and two bags inside: with one you collect dust, and the other function is to fill it with rainbow energy. Let's call these two bags “dust collector” and “rainbow”.
They are of different colors, for example, one of them is red, the other is green. Hoses of the same colors. You visualize all this. The picture is bright and detailed.
With your inner vision, find the point where discomfort and negativity have accumulated - fear, some unpleasant experience, irritation, pain, aggression, etc. Place the vacuum cleaner brush on the place where the negative has accumulated, and imagine how the vacuum cleaner picks it up. All the negativity flows through the hose into the dust collector bag, and you feel that it becomes much easier.
When you feel that it has become easier, turn off the button, take out all the contents from the dust container and throw it into the fire. All the negativity burned away. You feel relieved. You have freed yourself from negativity and heaviness. Now we need to replace this empty space with something positive.
We turn on another button, it’s time for the iris to work. You now apply a brush to the place where you had negativity. The vacuum cleaner starts working. Rainbow energy comes to you through the hose, which heals you and fills you with the energy of life. Are you filled with energy? Turn off the button. Be sure to thank the vacuum cleaner for the job done.
Now you, friends, know how to work with goals, release negative emotions and create positive ones. Achieve your goals, be on the wave of success, but don’t forget about the price of your success - will you remain happy?
Is success compatible with happiness?
I wrote a parable on this topic.
One day two students came to the Master. One of them wanted to know how to become successful, to which the Master answered him:
- Reach!
Another student asked a question:
- How to become happy? I achieved a lot, but I still didn’t have happiness. What do I need to achieve to make me happy?
- Forget about all your successes. Throw them away!
- But how can that be? — the first student was surprised, “you just told me to achieve my goals, and you’re telling him to throw away everything he’s achieved?” Why then do I need to achieve? Why do you give different advice?
— Because different people ask me. When I saw you, I realized that you have happiness and no success. I told you: “Achieve!” After all, you want to be successful, right?
- Yes it is. But what then to do with the other student?
— He had success, but he always thought that his success would make him a happy person. So I told him: “Forget about your success!” Happiness is a path, not an aspiration or an achievement. Success is the result. But if a person confuses these concepts, he misses either happiness or success.
- ABOUT! “I think I understand,” the student exclaimed. No amount of success will make a person happy, but happiness can make a person successful.
The master smiled and looked at the birds, freely soaring and disappearing into the cirrus clouds shimmering in the sun. The student looked at the Master and also threw his head back, feeling full and happy.
Being happy is a natural state. However, people make a cult out of happiness. They think: they will achieve this, and then even that... and they will become happy. Yes, perhaps they will achieve certain goals. Only happiness cannot be the goal, because happiness is a state of mind. Success is achievement.