I love New Year’s Spirit. People’s dreams are at the top of their head all the time, and even at the saddest moments, there is a tiny light of hope in their eyes.
It is great to list nice and challenging wishes, is funny, and comforting thinking, “and when I get it.”
How many of those resolutions are you able to come true? Do you know why it becomes much easier to quit trying, even when we really want to make it happen?
Would you like to make a difference this time? To finally achieve what you promise yourself, but avoid, postpone and give up every year, to really make it happen this time?
Talking about will, habits and decision would take us a whole article, something that today we will skip to get straight to action, ready?
Eat only One grape
It is funny but dangerous to commit to twelve wishes (even worst if we attempt to think and eat them in twelve chimes).
It is easy to just say things at the air, and then with the same rhythm of the holidays, to commit to the gym in early January or to a new course or training, and then, when things feel real, to give up, even when we really wanted to do all things.
Commit to one thing and one only, eat the twelve grapes if you must, but instead of thinking of different dreams on each, enrich that main one with actions around it.
My grape this year is to run another marathon. The rest of the grapes were about to schedule a training agenda, looking for a race at mid year, inviting people to join me on this dream and to create my support net group, and so on.
Twelve grapes for the same wish? Perhaps not, if you can handle more, you can try a few more, but hey! keep it realistic! We wouldn’t be here if we could handle those 12 multiple goals!
Grapes are symbolic, Commits are real
I like committing to one health wish, one art wish, and one professional wish every year; the rest of the grapes are just for the fun of the dinner.
Does it sound like a few? Maybe, but it takes a huge effort to commit to those three grapes to make them TRULY happen!
Enjoy the dinner and your top two or three resolutions. Do not sign in right away to a bunch of things trying to “ensure” or “force” yourself to do something. It never works. That is the reason why gyms offer savings in January. It is the hot spot for them. By March, the demand will go down, but at least they have got a few months to take advantage of holiday enthusiasts. The same happens with some training schools, sports, and nutritional stores.
Take a few days to calm down the new year’s craziness, sit down and confront your wishes, look around them, what would they require, how long, how much, what are you willing, or able to commit. Keep the realistic, discard the rest.
One grape only? Make it the best!
My dad used to tell me this: “Whatever you wanna be, be the best of it.” Now I am sharing his wisdom with you.
I might not be the best for the world’s standards, but I do my very best for me. I might not be able to handle twelve grapes, but I am a master of my potential with two or three.
There are no 1, 2, 3 tips for success; it is a try and fail forever exercise.
Everyone requires different timing, learning, and succeding parameters. You own yours, so customize them to keep things challenging, valuable, and healthy for you.
It all relies on you. As soon as you claim ownership, plan overalls, and execute with your terms, commit and negotiate realistic actions with yourself.
You are the pilot of your life, with all its landscapes, memories, and lessons learned in the flight. As well as achievements when completing something and consequences when not.
Be sure you pack and get the best for, and from, your journey.
Life is a high-performance sport
Throughout our lives, we empower our fears, and we protect ourselves by living under the edge of their limits. Then, we accept any kind of fancy, trending habit that would make us feel safe, no matter if it’s temporary or deep down useful.
All these are heavy stones blocking our way when we attempt to achieve big things. It feels even more overwhelming when there is no one else but ourselves in charge of making things done.
Contrary to work or at home when we had duties assigned and periodic reviews from someone else, in adult life, we are our bosses, operating team, motivational speaker, emotional support, and visionary planner.
If we do, or not, if we learn, or not, if we quit or not, it mostly relies on us. We can go as far as we let ourselves go. We can do as much as we trust we are capable of..
The more effective our training, the higher quality our performance.
Training for anything requires mental and physical prep. Requires executing, measuring results, failing, learning, and adjusting strategy; and repeating all over till you make it.
We live upon the level of demand we accept to handle, and we level up or down according to the decisions we make, the actions we take, and the attitude we face them.
Keep the glass half full
After a while pursuing a goal, commonly a long-term dream, it becomes hard to keep the same level of enthusiasm and interest on it. It becomes even harder when things get complicated. But that is the reason why wishing dreams and building goals is what I like to call: a different type of cloud.
We are all dreamers as all clouds have water somehow, but not all of us are builders as not all clouds trigger storms.
Keeping us altogether is not easy; it is hard work to embrace challenges, face uncertainties, get up, and keep fighting after the second round. That is where the refill stations take place.
Pits stop, or water stations in races, are there to cheer you up. It is not like you fully recover, but it helps you to get some relief, gain some strength, and keep going. The farest you go, the more stations you might need, in a marathon, for example.
Although your family and friends are great as support net, it is on you to keep up your motivation and rewarding attitude.
Find the motives that push you out of bed on a cloudy day.
Those reasons that pivot your emotional reactions from pessimistic towards action. Keep them as your secret weapons, as your energy boosts, as your sips of water or your fuel refill, to move on from the mudy days.
Mantras are not kind words, are solid guides
We all have phrases that we repeat for keeping us calmed or focused.They are not just motivational words but subtle calls to action.
In the good days are comfortable reminders, in the bad days are To Do things to confront.
If you have some, list them somewhere as a reminder at the beginning of your journey or when the day turns out more complicated than expected, and you feel like you are losing traction on the road.
Coach yourself with powerful commands that would fill up your emotional glass whenever it starts feeling a bit emptying.
I will share the top 10 that work for me. They are mostly lessons learned I have adopted as part of my mental prep for everything I do, so not all of them may apply for you. Use the ones that do, enrich them with your experiences, and create yours.
– Embrace failure as a valuable source of learning.
– Fear is fuel, it moves, or it burns you, use it wisely.
– Eat slow. Enjoy the details, be able to react, adjust, ask yourself if you want something different, or more. (It works for food too)
– Become your fan and your critique, your cheerleader and your bossy mom, the jury, and the author of this master piece of your life.
– We are able to do as much as we trust we are capable of, but your attitude can destroy that trust, so keep an eye on the excuses.
– It is only impossible if you think you can not.
– Only one grape? choose a good one, make it count.
– Be starving of today.
– If it is a No, ask yourself again; it may just be you being in a grumpy mood.
– Ready? Go
Agile, Leadership, and Growth Coaching 