If you’re like me, you can come up with an excuse for anything so quickly. Especially when something is challenging. This can be the worst mid-January – when you trying to stay committed to your resolution but routine and life has already begun to get in the way. That’s why I invited my friend, Sam Baker of Wellness Watered to give her two cents and share a few ways she’s been able to keep her resolutions. A few weeks ago, Sam interviewed me about goal setting + dreaming (read the interview here) and that’s where I first learned that she is the best at helping people live their best life through food, fitness and fun stuff in between. I just needed to share a little bit of her with you!

Ahh, January. The start of “the year you’ll actually get fit” or reach that goal that’s slipped through your fingers in years past.  The month where the crowds at the gym look a little more like a flea-market than a place to workout. When the hashtags #fitspo and #cleaneats break the internet.

Motivation is running high and you’re determined:” THIS. IS. MY. YEAR.”

And I bet I could even guess a few of your resolutions for 2018.

1. Lose X amount lbs/get in better shape

2. Start that job/career/dream you’ve always wanted to pursue

3. Save X amount of money

4. Be more present

5. Improve relationships

6. Learn something new

7. Travel/adventure more

8. Stop a bad habit (cussing, smoking, drinking, biting nails or… QUITTING?)

Well, you’re not alone… It’s nearly impossible to avoid TV, social media, the radio or even conversations with friends without hearing about some sort of New Year’s resolution being chased.

Honestly, I’ve regretted not taking stock in Planners and highlighters.

But guess what? Only about 8% of those people actually FINISH what they set out to do. (source: huffingtonpost)

By the time Spring rolls around 92% of the “goal diggers” are back to their old ways pretending they’re not disappointed with giving up so soon and wondering where they went wrong.

But what if I told you that it wasn’t anything THEY did wrong – and that it was just a flaw in their system?

And that I have several tried & true practical ways to actually reach those goals this year?

Not to brag, but I’ve had the best life coaches to teach me their ways: Mr. Failure & Mrs. Defeat.

I was THE QUEEN of making 20 “resolutions” every year and then getting too overwhelmed come February, leaving me feeling guilty and defeated for the 11 months leading up to next January.

Through my glorious screw-ups, I crafted the perfect recipe of secret sauce to make your goals happen this year.

Do you want in on the recipe?

Comin’ right up!

Sam’s Secret Sauce To
Just “Get ‘Er Done”

1. Make A Plan

Write out actual ways to reach your goal

If it’s to start your dream job – research companies to reach out to

If it’s to run a 5k – make a training plan

2. Stop waiting for motivation

Don’t let feelings & emotion dictate what you do

Let your actions stem from dedication to this new goal

If you wait until you “feel like it” – odds are, it’ll never happen.

Form new habits that will eventually develop into a lifestyle

3. The Buddy System

Have someone to hold you accountable to your resolution

Have a partner that is striving for the same goal

4. Get Real

Make sure your goal is realistic

Do you have/can you obtain the time, money, resources to make it happen?

Do you have too many goals?

Don’t make goals out of your control

Finding a husband, becoming a CEO, etc.

Make goals that you know you have the means to conquer.

5. Slow and steady

Make small changes that you can conquer 1 at a time in order to reach the ultimate goal.

Take it one day at a time – don’t have a set finish line that you have to reach said goal by.

6. Stay in your own lane

Stop looking to others as the example for what your journey/outcome should look like

Don’t compare your progress to others

Simply try YOUR best for YOUR life (some people work from home or don’t have as far as a commute – figure out how you can give it your all depending on the demands in your life).

7. Have Grace

Don’t expect perfection – you’re human and YOU WILL screw up.

Talk to yourself – don’t listen to yourself

When you hear the voices in your head tell you that you’re not good enough, replace those lies with true affirmations of confidence and self love.

8. Pick Up Where You Left Off

Don’t “scrap today, this week, this month” from a few mistakes, it takes a long time to form a new habit.

So stay consistent.

Keep showing up for your goal even if it means you give it the best you can that day.

If your goal is to get in shape and all you have time for is a 10 minute walk – then do what you can TODAY.

9. Live a Posture of Success

Act as if you’ve already succeeded.

Live in the mindset that you’re already a champion of this goal.

Visualize yourself reaching this goal.

10. Realize your worth

Understand that you’re already worthy of love & happiness RIGHT NOW – even before you complete your resolutions.

Recognize that reaching this goal won’t increase your worth or change your value as a person.

11. Stop fearing success

Allow yourself to cross that threshold that you never allow yourself to cross.

Allow yourself to evolve into a new person & redefine who you are.

12. Don’t let results be your end all be all

It’s all about how you show up & how you get up when you’ve fallen

Sometimes circumstances are out of our control (sickness, loss of job, other people not cooperating) – so don’t measure your success by an expectation you had for how your goal would look.

13. Don’t have a timeline

It may take longer than THIS YEAR to reach that goal or it may only take half the year – so don’t put a deadline on your goal.. Just give it your best and let it happen organically.

14. Keep Your Standards high

Don’t lower your standards to make others more comfortable or to avoid sticking out

If your friends pressure/guilt you into breaking your resolution to “bond” with them – hold your ground and pretty soon they’ll recognize your new habit is here to stay.

15. Realize it’s okay to change your mind

But not to make excuses.

If you find that “I don’t want to lose weight anymore – I’m happy with my body”, it’s okay to shift your goal to “being healthy” rather than “weight loss”.

These are my fool-proof secrets to finishing not only your resolutions for this year, but to reach in goal you have in your life.

And I know half of you are Type-A and super ecstatic over a list of things to conquer – but the other half of you are more type B, C, or D and you’re probably like “Woah, Sam. 15?! There’s no way I can remember all of these!”

But don’t worry, sister, I’ve picked my TOP 3 to keep in your pocket for when you’re on the brink of throwing in the towel.

The Holy Grail of Goal-Reaching

1. Don’t run off of motivation/emotion – but determination/truth

2. Have Grace on yourself/Don’t expect perfection  

3. Live a posture of success/triumph

We weren’t created to live in a constant cycle of defeat.

Go after the goals that will make you the BEST version of yourself.

Whenever I set a goal for myself I always have a little heart to heart first and I ask myself these 2 things:

1. Do these goals make me feel stressed/anxious at the beginning of the day – and depressed/defeated come the end of the day? (Aka they’re unrealistic/unnecessary)

2. Or do these goals make me feel motivated/excited at the beginning of the day – and content/fulfilled come the end of the day? (Aka they’re helping you become your best self).

Don’t set yourself up for failure – if you know you’re only setting a goal to appease somebody else or to try and be what others tell you you should be, I’ll let you in on a little secret: you’ll never succeed – because even if you ever see “physical success”, you’ll always feel unfulfilled.

But girl, 2018 is your year.

Your year to have grace on yourself and ask yourself: “What is actually necessary and what do I actually want out of my life this year?”.

Lasting outward change stems from healthy intentions and a strong sense of self worth.

If deep down you don’t think you’re worth the happiness of reaching a goal, you’ll always stop yourself from passing that threshold.

So make a plan. Make the necessary sacrifices. And let this be the year you shed the shackles of failure.

XO,
Sam

Sam loves thinking, researching, writing, and creating (whether that’s words, recipes, workouts, or even a to-do list). She’s a firm believer in “dessert always,” loves Weiner dogs and loves to get people out of their comfort zone and into their dream.

An enthusiast for helping people live their best life, Sam shares recipes, secret to success, a candid look into her life and fun fitness goals that everyone can live by. 

Read more about Sam here!