This article was last updated on September 5, 2017
Do you remember waking up on the 1st of January, 2017? You probably got out of bed, full of excitement and energy, ready to become the person you want to be. You started your New Year’s Day by going for a run, reading the opening chapter of the first book on your “to read” list and you spent lunch with your family. Then you might have meditated, hung out with friends and finished the night by making a list of all the positive moments you experienced throughout the day. However, almost 6 months in, you are probably asking yourself how to stay determined and achieve your goals. Your energy has probably dwindled and you’ve since felt the monotony and the obligation to complete the targets that you’ve set for yourself. What’s changed in these past 6 months?
When we begin any challenge, we like to imagine being this perfect version of ourselves, imagining all of the positive qualities that we want to have and only seeing the upside of being this improved self. It is only when we begin the challenge that realize how far the gap is between where we are and where we want to be. Only then do we realize that to become the person we aim to be will take time and effort. We’ve put off starting our challenge for so long that we’ve pushed ourselves further away from our goals because we haven’t been growing within that time.
So what can we do to rekindle our New Year’s resolution and stay determined all year long? We change our focus.
What also holds us back is that we feel obliged to achieve these goals. Our social conditioning puts so much emphasis on health, career and well-being, that we feel as if we have to fulfill these needs in order to belong in society. But it is this obligation that creates conflicts within us. It hinders our well-being and disconnecting us from society. Our focus determines what we do. If we focus on the obligation, then we feel lethargic. If we focus on our growth, then we feel energetic. The difference between those who reach their goals and those who don’t is their perspective. So how do you change your focus for the better?
1. Look for inspiration
The simplest way to shift is to look for inspiration: encouraging words and inspirational quotes to get you to feel good about the onset of growing into the person you want to be. Here are some quotes about change to get you started.
Try to develop a habit of watching inspirational videos and reading books on success. In order to adopt a similar mindset you must learn from those who have come before you. I guarantee you there is someone out there who has already done what you want to do. So you find that person, trace their steps to success and follow their lead.
These lessons will begin to reshape your perspective of life. You will begin to focus on the positives, aiding you to believe in yourself, and get you excited about the opportunity in front of you. By focusing on the positives you will create momentum towards your success and naturally grow into the person that you want to be.
Important note: remain in a positive frame of mind. If you are in a negative one, you’ll look for the negatives no matter how inspiring the video or the book or the influencer may be.
2. Work on you
When you change your focus, it does become enthralling to feel your growth and see your life change. But often what deters you from continuing your momentum is comparison. When you compare yourself to others and try to complete with them you lose sight of your goals. You have to work on you. Comparing yourself to your competition only leads to slowing you down. Either you compare yourself to your competition and get frustrated and jealous, or you compare yourself to your competition and feel superior, but in doing so have wasted valuable progress time.
To focus requires you to block out competition and other distractions – anything that’s going to hinder your growth, really. If this means isolating yourself, then do it. It is up to you to create an environment that’ll allow you to focus on your growth. Some of you are going to be in situations where the potential for distraction is much greater than for other people. If you’re a parent, your child is going to depend on you, which is going to distract you and take time from your growth. However, even with such distractions you must mange your time and work around your obligations. Your child is going to have to sleep at some point; use that time to your advantage.
If your distractions are negative people who bring you down here are 10 great way to deal with selfish people.
3. Be patient
There is a notion out there that to become successful at anything you have to spend exactly 10,000 hours honing your particular skill. Having said that, achieving success will take some time. The only way to deal with this is by being patient. So how do you exercise patience?
Like every other skill, learning to be patient takes practice. But by having some degree of self-awareness you can get better at exercising patience much faster. You should learn to catch yourself when you are feeling impatient or frustrated. At thta point you need to assess yourself and figure out how you can refocus with a positive frame of mind. As you get better at this, you’ll start to naturally develop patience and a better appreciation for the journey you are on.
Now, I’d like to finish this article with some encouraging words of my own. What you need t focus on is the only the life story you are currently writing. Whatever story you are writing now, you are worthy of it. You are worthy of your successes. Even-more, you are worthy of your growth. You are worthy of the person you want to become and of the story you want to create. Keep growing. Keep creating. And have a life changing remainder of 2017.
