New Year, New Goals!

Happy New Year, and Welcome to 2019!

Well Rambler's, we've survived another year. I think it's safe to say that last year was rough on a lot of us but hey! With a new year comes new opportunities, so let's hope for the best shall we?

It is customary to come up with a New Years Resolution, some way of bettering ourselves, of motivating us to live our best life. In a past post (See Here) I shared my perspective that creating new goals should reflect the individual creating them, that we are all different and as such we all require different goals and follow through plans. While I still maintain this position, I believe there are a few things we can ask ourselves when considering our goals in order to better ensure their success.

Far too often, I see people creating goals that they feel are expected of them. Goals that society has labelled New Years Resolutions for them. While there is nothing wrong with these goals, they hardly seem personal do they? To me, it's a little like walking into a store and grabbing the first greeting card you see because it's in a section marked 'birthday, anniversary, or get well'. Again, there's nothing specifically wrong with doing that, but it won't necessarily mean as much as if you'd looked through a few more cards to see which one was a good fit, or made the card yourself. I think our goals should mean something to us, they should reflect something that we believe will enrich our lives and make us happier. Otherwise, why are we doing them? Because that's just what people do?

So what goal(s) would make your life better? What would make you smile more and feel like you're living your best life? Not only will asking yourself help you pick a goal that is right for you, but knowing why you're choosing it may also better motivate you and give you the power to stick with it.

How realistic is your goal? Again, I don't mean how realistic is your goal to society but rather, how realistic is your goal for you, in the shoes that walk your life? If your goal is to get in shape, there are factors that are personal to your life that should be considered. Not as a deterrent, but as a motivator. You may pause and think about your goal and discover obstacles, but if the goal is something you are truly motivated to follow through on, you'll look for new ways of accomplishing them that work for you. For example, (and I am using this example solely because it seems to be the most popular, but there are so very many other goals to choose from) if you choose to start working out because you are motivated to get healthy and you decide you want to do this by going to the gym every single day for a minimum of two hours, it's a great goal but perhaps not as easily done if you are a single parent with a full time job who has never before been to the gym. A two hour workout, seven days a week may be harder on your body than is conducive to your goal, and you may find yourself breaking habits from the very beginning because you were too sore, too tired, and your child needed you.

However, by making a few tweeks to make your goal more realistic for you as an individual, you can better ensure your success and happiness instead of slowly becoming miserable and unmotivated because you can't do what you want to do, what you set out to do. Instead, creating a game plan to work your way up to your desired workout, and creating a schedule that works around your child and work schedule can better allow success which is in itself a fantastic motivator. Is it realistic to wake up to do your workout in the morning before your child wakes up, or are they early risers? During your lunch hour at work? Immediately after work while your child is still with a babysitter? Or perhaps after they have gone to bed? Only you know what works best for you, but you have to be willing to ask yourself what that is.

Other people won't have to worry about the same goal constrictions, but will have their own to think about. They may need to consider having a plan for if they fall of the wagon of their goal. What if their goal is to write something every day, but they find something came up and they have missed a few days and broken the habit they have so carefully created for themselves? What will motivate them as individuals to get back up on the horse and keep going? In November, I gave up television for the month. On November 4^th, I fell off the wagon and watched The Flash all night. The very next day, I decided that wasn't the end of my goal and I got right back up on that figurative horse to finish off my month. For me, it was as easy as reminding myself I had a goal and I was motivated to do it for my own self understanding, as well as for my blog post. Simply reminding myself that I want to do something might not always work for me, so when I set goals I need to understand my motivation, set down a means of holding myself accountable, and create contingency plans. Once again, only you as an individual will know what your needs will be when it comes to keeping yourself going. Just remember, we're all human, and it is unrealistic to expect perfection from ourselves 100% of the time.

In any case, these are just a few things to consider this year when you're working out the details of your New Years Resolutions. Just remember, these goals are about you, not about the calendar year or satisfying others. Do what works for you, create time for yourself to follow through on those goals rather than expecting to stumble upon it. Most importantly? Be happy. Life is too short for anything else.

Cheers!

The Bra Street Rambler

P.S. Would you care to help me accomplish one of my goals? Here are a few ways you can do just that.

1. Pick your favourite post, or one that you've liked, and share it with your friends.
2. Email me any topics you'd like to see me write about, thebrastreetrambler@gmail.com
3. Follow and subscribe to my blog, you can also follow me on social media.
4. Finally, check out my new monthly feature The Rambler Rave! Where once a month, I will highlight someone's hard work whether that's a blog, podcast, youtube channel, website, or 'other' for you to head over and check out should you be moved to do so.

The Rambler Rave!

The first ever Rambler Rave admittedly includes a bit of nepotism, but I promise you while they are family, they are also passionate and engaging in what they do. Mainville ATV and Outdoors chronicles my sister and her husbands adventures both in the shop and out on the beautiful Canadian trails. If you're interested in getting greasy or heading out to play in the mud, this might be the Youtube channel for you. Click here to check them out!