How to actually get sh*t done this year — according to a goal coach

Don’t listen to what the naysaying New Year’s memes tell you. It is both possible and admirable to want to improve yourself when a new year begins!

And yeah, it’s hard. That’s why New Year’s resolution failures become a running joke every January. But it’s not impossible — especially not if you bring out the big guns, and by the big guns, we mean Kingsley Delacato.

Kingsley Delacato is a goal coach (yes, that’s a job!) and the adventure director for Surf Yoga Beer, a company putting on wellness retreats that sounds way more fun than anything healthy should. We asked her for her best tips to actually stick to your goals this year. Here’s what Kingsley had to say.

1. Write those babies down!

“By putting pen to paper, you switch something from being just a wish or desire in your head. It suddenly becomes something tangible, and gives you a sense of accountability to yourself. It becomes something real that you can look at and say, ‘hell yeah, that’s mine!'”

This is truly one of the best ways to get shit done. It takes persistence and discipline to write things down every day, but it’s helpful in so many ways. Maybe start keeping a Bullet Journal — there’s a reason why the entire internet’s obsessed with them.

2. Use the present tense when writing your goals.

“Use ‘I am’ instead of ‘I will.’ This allows you to put something into creation and manifest your dreams into reality. You instantly turn it into something that already exists. Know that it’s already yours. When you’re ready for it, go reach out and claim it.”

Wow, how did we never think of this?! Just writing down “I’m putting 20% of each paycheck in savings” is a great little reminder to give yourself every day.

3. Shoot for the moon, land on a star.

“In other words, set your goals BIG. You may not hit the full target right away, but you’ll get farther than you would if you had set the bar too low. You may just surprise yourself with what you can accomplish.”

If you’ve never run a 5k before, why not tell yourself you’ll do one next month? Bonus points if you actually register for a race — then you’ll basically have to do it!

4. Ask yourself, where does my passion lie in this?

“As long as passion is what ignites a goal, you’ll never run out of fuel while striving for it. Remain true to yourself and always check back in with what drives your spirit and soul.”

If you’re setting a goal to save more money, that might be hard because no one likes spending money. But if your goal is to save money so that you can rent a sick apartment or go on an amazing trip, focus on the part that excites you rather than the fact that you’re choosing not to spend money on stuff you like right this minute.

So whatever your goals are this year, don’t get discouraged. It might take a while, but hey, you’ve got time — especially if 2018 ends up feeling as long as 2017 did.

Gimme More Health

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