#44: Turn your life around in 12 months, plus how to set goals that actually work
Statistically speaking, 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail by mid-February.
Even if you prefer goal setting, habit tracking, OKRs, or any other form of progress mapping, it’s possible that commitments you noted down in the relative calm of the festive break have by now become a little lost in the back-to-reality-ness of January.
I know that’s true for me. And that’s totally OK. Priorities change. We learn that some things don’t make as feel as great as we imagined they might. Progress can be good for us, but it’s not worth creating an incredibly rigid life that makes us unhappy.
In this week’s Power Up we investigate the theme of goal-setting, habits, systems and the ongoing pursuit of ‘better’.
What works? What doesn’t? When does the ongoing pursuit of ‘our best self’ become detrimental? Are we doomed to live in a permanent state of dissatisfaction?
This week’s curated articles & videos tackle these questions and more:
// 6 things you can do to turn your life around in 12 months
// Mindful people are better goal setters
// Self-care: What it really is and how to do it well
// How to set goals that actually work
// You don’t have to work on yourself forever
Plus plenty of bonus content too…
So if your January didn’t go quite as you planned I hope you find something here that will help you get back on the horse and start making progress in whatever areas are most important to you.
Enjoy…
6 things you can do to turn your life around in 12 months or less
Many of us go through life on auto-pilot. We find a comfort zone that isn’t too intolerable and then we do our best to maintain the status quo, meanwhile forgetting the dreams and ambitions we once had.
If that sounds familiar this inspiring article could be the rallying call you need to change your perspective and give you actionable steps to start moving toward a fuller life.
‘Mindful’ people are better goal-setters according to new research
It may sound obvious to say that aligning our goals with deeply held personal values produces better results, but still so many of us set ours based on influence from others or the promise of external rewards — and then wonder why we lose motivation.
Self-care: What it really is and how to do it well
Resist the default urge to skim past this headline and dismiss self-care as ‘soft’ or ‘hippie nonsense’, and give it a chance.
In this excellent article, psychologist Nick Wignall breaks down self-care as a set of consistent physical, mental and practical habits that every one of us can benefit from.
How to set goals that actually work
Accepted wisdom tells us that goal setting is the key to success, whatever our field of endeavour.
But centring our lives around a consistent pursuit of the next achievement means we live in a permanent state of dissatisfaction. This article analyses goal setting and proposes a hybrid system for greater satisfaction and achievement.
You don’t have to work on yourself forever
A fixation on being the peak versions of ourselves — emotionally, physically, spiritually — is now an ingrained part of daily life. But is there a darker side to the constant pursuit of ‘better’?
THANKS FOR READING
I hope you found something valuable in this Power Up.
If you did, and would like to receive this in your inbox each week, you can sign-up here.
See you next time, Adam
