Focus on What Really Matters: YOURSELF

As we turn the corner from 2014 and enter 2015, many of us will use this moment to clear the decks and think about changes we want to implement personally and professionally in the year ahead.

To help everyone set their year up for success, here are ways you can keep the right level of focus on yourself in 2015.

1.   Set attainable goals

Set both near and long-term goals. If you think about where you want to be in six months, what do you need to do in the previous months to get there?  You can’t eat an entire steak with one bite. Goals are the same way. Give yourself a chance to make “bite-sized” progress. Share your goals with others and set check-ins to keep yourself honest. Provide plenty of transparency, so they can help motivate and calibrate your progress.

2.   Try to live in the present

If you can find a way to maximize each day across the things that matter most like family, health and work, you will find yourself in a happier, more productive, and more fulfilled state of mind.

Manage your day so you can make the most out of it. Set routines and give yourself the flexibility to live within a schedule. Give yourself more credit. Not every day will be perfect. Maybe you don’t have time to go on a five-mile run. If you can find time for a 30 minute walk instead, great. Give yourself credit for establishing good habits and behaviors.

3.   Make your health a priority

Think about the areas you really need to focus on. Perhaps it is diet, exercise or getting more sleep. The best thing you can do is to get educated. For example, don’t jump into a hardcore diet. Instead, try and meet with a nutritionist to develop a program that is tailored to you. Don’t try and do too much too soon. Doing so may create setbacks that not only hamper your progress but demotivate you.

4.   Leave behind negative influences

You know people who are negative, always complain, are overly skeptical and generally don’t support an ongoing positive attitude. Ignore them. Don’t spend your energy with them. Learn your triggers and deal with them. If you can zero in on your triggers, you can make immediate and impactful changes.

5.   Pace yourself and make all 365 days count

Leverage the seasons. For example, if you are focused on your health make the winter a time when you focus on diet. Leave the spring to get into running shape, so by summer you will be rolling. Think about the principles you want to reflect every day. Write them down and read them every day. If you can give yourself regular reminders, by the 365th day of 2015, you will have turned your desired changes into permanent ones.