Somehow, I forgot that simplicity is the secret to almost anything. In the midst of ninja planning, oodles of passion and decisive goal-setting, I overlooked the vital ingredient of simplicity… Oops!
You see, I started this year with a lofty list of goals. I was proud of my extremely segmented list – divided up into weekly and daily goals, and compartmentalized by each major element of my life (i.e. health, business, relationship, etc.).
But, now as the first month of 2013 comes to an end, I’ve assessed my progress and found that I failed miserably.
(^^Okay, that sounds so negative. Let me reword that…)
I’ve assessed my progress and learned what I need to do to make next month, February, a success.
(MUCH better, right?)
The major lesson I’ve learned in the month of January is that I made things much more complicated than they needed to be. I forgot that simplicity is KEY.
So, what do I do when I fall down? I get right back up!
Yes. I’m brushing the dirt off my jeans, straightening my ponytail and jumping back onto the saddle… and, of course, taking into February what I learned in January.
“What’s that?” you ask. Read on!
Create a Monthly Theme.
My personal work this past December was dedicated to planning a successful 2013. With the help of Stratejoy’s amazing Molly Mahar and her “Holiday Council” group, I constructed an empowered plan of action for my 2013.
One of our assignments was to create a theme for the year. Something powerful and goosebump-inducing. Something that made you feel warm and fuzzy inside. For me that was “Loving, Trusting Forward Movement.” Having that 2013 theme made it so much easier to outline my goals for the year.
I really think that I should apply this same approach to each month in 2013. Thus, I will now create a theme for each individual month. The monthly themes must support my overall 2013 theme (“Loving, Trusting Forward Movement”), and cannot be selected until the last week of the previous month. So, since it’s January 29th, I can now create my February theme, and base that theme on the lessons I learned in January. Can you guess what my February theme is? Simplicity!
Avoid Ambiguity.
One of my goals for the month of January was to attend at least four yoga classes per week. Epic fail! This was way too broad of a goal. When I set this goal, I ignored the fact that a specific schedule is required, and that a morning workout is the easiest to commit to (at least for me). But, before I commit to 5:30 AM yoga classes again, I need to get back to the basics…
Get Back to the Basics.
My wake/sleep cycle has been majorly out of whack for months! And, I have not been disciplined about getting that back on track. But, since my wake/sleep cycle is the foundation for just about everything in my life, getting it back on track needs to be my number one priority in the month of February. It’s going to be a crazy month (both professionally and socially), but I can’t make excuses any more. I really need to get back to my 4:50 AM wake-up. So, I’m going to work hard to achieve that.
Keep It Real.
I can’t go from 7 AM to 4:50 AM overnight. I need to slowly ween myself into it. So I’m going to wake up 20 minutes earlier every three days, until I finally get back to my 4:50 AM wake-up time.
Develop the Right State of Mind.
Just because I can’t make the 5:30 AM yoga classes (based on where I’m at right now in terms of sleep/wake cycle), that doesn’t mean I can’t do yoga at home. (FYI: I don’t like going to the studio in the evening because the classes are packed like sardines, and it’s hard for me to sleep after an energy-infused hot yoga workout). I need to make the physical practice of yoga a part of my every day.
Be Compassionate to Myself.
I feel like a failure because I have completely fallen off the wagon with my yoga workouts. (Funny how this became a post about yoga, right?) When I was practicing on a regular basis, I was so proud of myself.
Now that I haven’t been going, I’ve been beating myself up. And, in doing so, I’ve been ignoring one of the fundamental values of yoga: Compassion. Negativity toward myself is not going to get me back to the practice I love. So, I’m going to start treating myself with compassion.
Check in Daily.
I haven’t been conscious about my goal progress. So, it’s no wonder I fell below my expectations. I know that setting aside a simple “ten-minute time-slot” daily for self-assessment will help tremendously.
Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Do you have any good tips for goal-setting? Any lessons that you would like to share?