Welcome to a new year, a clean slate, a fresh start. Yes, these phrases may have become clichés but the reality is this can be your best year EVER if you commit to doing the small things well and consistently.
Let’s keep it really simple. What matters most to you? What do you want to be successful at this year? List 10 things in order of priority that are most important for you to make progress in this year. Then, take eight or even nine of those things and cross them off the list. Seriously. It’s more important to have great success in one area than poor success in many areas! You’ll come back to the other areas on your list but only after you’ve had success in the areas of higher priority.
Now, what is the first and simplest step you need to take in this one goal that will start your momentum for progress?
If it’s to be more consistent with your chiropractic care, write in the time and dates into your schedule and send it to your chiropractor’s office. If it’s to start a workout program, just grab your shoes and workout gear and put them where you’ll trip over them after having scheduled your dates and times to do these workouts over the next two months. If it’s to connect with your husband or wife or your children, simply schedule time in each week to intentionally focus on them and their needs at a consistent interval and time that would rarely be interfered with. These times are best kept short. The key is consistency over time in order to create a habit and to enable yourself to see the rewards of your changed behaviour.
Nurturing the things and the relationships that you care about the most is what brings true joy and even long life. You have it in you! Here’s to an incredible year of personal, family and professional growth in 2017!
Love you all!
Dr. Derek Haughton
P.S. For a more elaborate step by step for taking your big dreams and creating smaller actionable steps read my 3 part blog series starting with: ‘A New Year: Dream and Write it Down‘