How Not to Fail Your New Year's Resolutions
Taking on a new goal, project or discipline can be really exciting, especially with the vision of our end result in mind. Unfortunately, we tend to imagine only the end result, forgetting to consider exactly what we need to do to accomplish that result.
It’s easy to get discouraged or lose momentum on the journey. In fact, most people who set new year’s resolutions give up on their goal in as little as 2 weeks! The New York Post reported that “Research conducted by Strava, the social network for athletes, has discovered that Saturday, Jan. 12, is the fateful day of New Year’s resolutions.”
As an Olympic athlete, goal setting was part of my job and every year brought new resolutions into view. Now that I’ve started Sifuentes Coaching I am taking these experiences to entrepreneurship and as I help the runners I coach set their own goals. Here are my top strategies for success so that YOU can be the exception to the rule of failed resolutions.
Goals are accomplished one day at a time.
Start Small
New Year’s Resolutions are normally big goals because instinctively we feel there is a whole year to accomplish them. Plus - big goals are inspiring and exciting! But the best way to accomplish a big goal is to make much smaller goals. If your goal is to run a marathon in 2020 but you’ve never run a 5k, put a 5k on the calendar first.
If your goal is to run daily but you currently only run 1-2 days per week, plan on 3 days per week consistently as the first step. These small goals are called “easy wins” and they are paramount to continued success because they will help you build positive momentum. One small win gives you a boost in confidence and hope that you’ll be able to achieve the next step.
The Nitty Gritty
Where many people go wrong in their resolutions is neglecting to think over what needs to actually happen to be successful.
Review the two big goals mentioned above: a) complete a marathon and b) run daily. Many runners come to me with their goal of completing a marathon. I talk to them about the time commitment and fatigue ahead. For the marathon, there is no substitute for running a lot of miles, and that they should be prepared to be very tired during their training. Heading out for a run feeling exhausted before you even start is part of the process. Long runs may only take 2-3 hours on a Saturday morning, but the rest of your day will be affected as well due to fatigue. If you are in a season of life (perhaps with small children or an already crazy work schedule) where you don’t have time to actually prepare properly for a marathon, then don’t make this your goal right now! Think very carefully over the details.
If your goal is to run daily, what does that mean for your schedule each day? At what point in your day will you do the run? Will you get up early to do it, or use your lunch hour, or run after work? Will you have to tear yourself away from your family or other responsibilities to get this done? What will you need to sacrifice to develop this habit of daily running and are you prepared to do it? Finally, how will you react in a setback?
Start Over, Again.
Part of the plan for any new goal or resolution should include a backup plan: what will you do if you get off track? If you encounter a setback, will you give up? With any long term endeavor we must accept that there will be bumps along the road. We will get sick, or have unexpected work or family emergencies, or we may simply let ourselves down once in a while. I tell all the runners I coach that when it comes to training, the goal is consistency not perfection.
If you fall off track then just get back on track. Pick yourself up and start fresh. We don’t need to commit to never falling off track. We must commit to always getting back on track when we stumble.
Acknowledge the Successes
When you set small goals, you’re giving yourself the opportunity to succeed quickly and often. So when you succeed, acknowledge your accomplishment, even if it’s just to yourself. Jot it down in your training log or tell a friend who will get excited with you. Big goals are really hard to achieve and usually require several tries. By giving yourself credit for the little wins you will have the confidence and hope of eventual success in the big endeavors.
As a professional runner I set big goals all the time: become an Olympian, break Canadian Records, win National Championships. Some of them I achieved, but even more often I did not. Along the way I learned to give myself credit not just for an accomplishment, but for everything I did to work toward it. I learned to extend myself kindness and patience in the inevitable disappointments. I came to understand the importance of validating my own efforts instead of constantly focusing on what more I could be doing. I learned to enjoy the process.
Bringing these lessons to my coaching career and sharing them with my clients is a great privilege. It is so fun share in the celebrations of personal bests in every distance you can think of, age group winners, and first time marathoners. But what is most rewarding is helping runners grow more confident and move toward bigger goals one small step at a time.
Looking to make big strides in 2021?
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Nicole Sifuentes is a 2x Olympic Runner for Canada. She is now a retired athlete coaching runners of all abilities with totally individualized training plans and unlimited communication. She has coached at the NCAA D1 level for 3 years as an assistant at the University of Michigan and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.