Michael and Emma: Hey!
Michael: So for a lot of people, the New Year is a time for reflection.
They look at how things are and how we'd like them to be.
A lot of us set big goals, which is awesome.
Emma: But how do we achieve those goals?
Here are a few tips to keeping your resolute in your resolutions.
E: Number one: as we often say, have a compelling "why."
Although we're big fans of the brain's power of logic, people are more motivated to make
changes when their goals are charged with emotion.
M: So, to quote The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, "Begin with the end in mind."
Why do you want to do P90X or finish your Sherlock fanfic novel or build an emergency
fund.
Meaning helps to create motion, and it helps you figure out which goals to pursue in the
first place, which leads us to... number two: Do NOT do ALL the things!
E: One of the greatest obstacles of change is overwhelm, and while there's certainly
ways to get you more productive in general, you can set yourself up for victory by choosing
a smaller number of meaningful or easily achievable goals, and stack your victories along the
way.
M: And to stack those victories, it helps to do number three: Specify!
If your goal is to save money, think about what amount you want to save, and why that
amount in particular.
(1:24)
E: From there, you can set smaller, tangible targets along the way.
Sometimes you can become overwhelmed by wanting to be the first person to run a marathon while
walking on their hands, so break it down.
Say, "I want to run x number of handstand-miles per week."
M: We've made a video about productivity strategies that we think could be super-duper helpful
in this regard; I'm going to put a link below.
E: And that brings us to number four: Remember that life is a team game, so try to find some
support.
M: Maybe for you, this is a group of people who have similar goals.
Some people call this having a mastermind group, which sounds like a sci-fi conspiracy,
and... is not a sci-fi conspiracy.
Bummer.
It's also called the buddy system, which does not sound like a sci-fi conspiracy, but it
is an upcoming sci-fi movie I'm writing, and it's about, these, um, robots, named Buddy,
and they're trying to... systematically kill everyone.
E: That took a dark turn!
M: It did, but it's a genre- bending work, and I'm very excited.
E: Whatever you call it, science shows that we're far more likely to keep our goals if
we have accountability, particularly from people who have a stake in us keeping our
goals.
For instance, people who are going for the same outcomes, or someone like a mentor or
a life coach, and this is science, talking, OK!
And science...
don't mess around.
M: Number five: Along the way, know that you'll probably have to let some things go.
To quote bankrate.com, one reason resolutions fail is because people don't change the habits
that sabotage them.
E: In many cases, it's OK, and even healthy, to give yourself a little bit of leeway.
For example, if you completely deprive yourself of sweet nom-noms, you might one day rebel
and flip over the table and yell, "Give me that cookie!"
In the early stages of a lifestyle change, it may be better to air the side of discipline,
but as fitness super-guru Tony Horton points out: If you're doing 80% of your workouts
and eating healthfully 80% of the time, you'll be doing really well.
M: And finally, remember number six: sometimes, you'll fall short.
E: But don't let perfect be the enemy of awesome.
Along the way, if you can treat yourself with a sense of grace like you treat your BFF,
you'll be less likely to call it quits when you make the occasional goof up.
Be earnest and educable, hopeful and proud, and hopefully you'll be able to look back
and say, "Holy cow, what a difference a year can make!"
That's all we've got for you today; let us know in the comments section below: what are
your resolutions this year?
We would love to hear from you...
M: ... and in the meantime, I want to let you guys know, just, like, you and I are talking
here right now: when I cross the finish line on that handstand marathon, my resolution
is to scream the catchphrase, so I'll see you at the finish line!
E: Whaaaaat?
(Both laugh)
(Music)