It’s that time of year again folks. New year, new you…again, right? Resolutions have kind of become a running joke these days. So many people literally laugh when they say them out loud, but this doesn’t mean they can’t work.
We typically try to set way too many goals for ourselves which leads to being overwhelmed and unable to stick with it. So instead of ten tips or five or even three, how about just one tip? One thing that can help you make it happen in 2024.
Tip: Use a Stair-step Timeline to create an Action Plan.
For all of you that want your goals to happen in 2024 by January 31st I’m going to need you to stop, hop back on board the reality train and change your mind set for the long haul to success town. Delayed gratification…yes, it is a thing. Anything worth achieving is going to take consistent effort over time.
Go to the bottom of your stairs at your house or visualize standing in front of a staircase. Whatever your big goal is for 2024 go ahead and put that right at the very top of the stairs, which is one year from today. Looks far away doesn’t it? Does it seem like a million miles between where you are and where you want to be?
I have been there and I know it can seem impossible, but take a look right under the top of the stairs. You will notice there is another stair, below that another one, below that another one. Follow each stair all the way down to your feet. Here is your starting point. It sounds very obvious, but in order to lose 50 you must first lose one. In order to do 10 pull-ups you must first do one. In order to squat 250 pounds you must first squat 225.
STAIR-STEP TIMELINE
I’m going to use losing 50 pounds as an example, but think about what goal you just set for yourself. Just as we visualized earlier, take your goal and put it at the top so you can work backwards to your starting point.
Stair 12: 50 pounds total (December 31st)
Stair 11: 45 pounds total (November 30th)
Stair 10: 40 pounds total (October 31st)
Stair 9: 35 pounds total (September 30th)
Stair 8: 30 pounds total (August 31st)
Stair 7: 25 pounds total (July 31st)
Stair 6: 20 pounds total (June 30th)
Stair 5: 15 pounds total (May 31st)
Stair 4: 10 pounds total (April 30th)
Stair 3: 5 pounds total (March 31st)
Stair 2: 3 pounds total (February 28th)
Stair 1: 1 pound total (January 31st)
Now you have a big goal with a whole bunch of little goals along the way and they all have deadlines. Month one lose one pound, month two lose two pounds, month three lose three pounds, months 4-12 lose five pounds. When a big task is broken up it now seems achievable.
ACTION PLAN
Steps to a successful plan:
Just. Get. Started.
Change one thing at a time
Stay the course
Believe
MOVE
It’s called an Action Plan for a reason. It is a plan to actually move and accomplish things, not just think about them. You know what your stairs are, what are you going to do to take that first step? Yes, you need to think about the things that are going to help you start, but above all else you have to in fact, start.
PATIENCE
Making a plan to change everything you have been doing for the past year all at once is not a good plan…it is a plan to fail. What are the biggest things that will help you achieve this goal? Prioritize them. Start at the top with one thing at a time and chip away.
“Delayed gratification…yes, it is a thing.”
PERSEVERANCE
Setbacks will come. Obstacles will pop up. Life will happen. No matter what, you have to stick with it. Keep moving. Keep showing up. Keep putting in work. All promises are very important to keep, but none more important than the promises we make to ourselves. Don’t let you let you down. You are so much more capable than you think.
YES. YOU. CAN.
Every mile in life starts with a single step. Deep breath and start climbing those stairs. I’ll see you at the top next year.
—Coach Kiel
