So, it’s 2017 and they’ll be plenty of us thinking about how to improve our lives in a bunch of ways for the new year.

Some of you might want to be healthier, some might want to be more active and some might want to get their finances on track. However there’s a problem…

New years resolutions don’t work.

Now I don’t want to put a downer on making positive change. I’m a fan of making changes in your life which lead to healthier, wealthier and happier lives.

But setting resolutions like ‘get fitter’, ‘drink less’ or ‘organise my finances’ are unlikely to work.

Let’s explore 5 things which you might find a bit more useful…

1) Set specific, time based goals.

I always find the winter is a tough time to exercise. Give me a sunny spring or summer day and I’ll happily put my trainers on and go for a run.

In January it’s a different story. In years gone by I adopted bear like habits and hibernated for the winter exercise wise only to find it an uphill struggle to get back to running when the weather improved.

Now I do things a little differently…

As part of my new year planning I book a number of ‘runs’ for early in the year. I’ve got a few booked already early in the year it’s although the ‘biggie’ for me is the Paris Marathon in April (eek!).

By booking these runs I know I need to train for (and be fit enough for) a specific goal on a specific date. I find that if I do this I’m more inclined to go out for that run when it’s frosty…as opposed to stay inside when it’s nice and warm.

Now every year I set myself different goals. This year it’s the Paris Marathon. Last year I walked 100km in a day to raise money for charity (insert link to personal blog) and a couple of half marathons. Next year it’ll be something different…

However the reality is that having these runs booked and the specific time based goals help me stay on track fitness wise…most of the time anyway!

2) Understand that progress happens in ‘small chunks’

It’s important to remind ourselves that any sort of change doesn’t happen immediately. You don’t build businesses, get fit, become wealthy or lose weight overnight and small incremental changes (and action) is the key to any improvement.

So, whilst setting specific time related goals is an important step it’s also fundamental to work out what the ‘small chunks’ are going to be. It might be to go for a run now, or to change the amount you save for your financial future today, or even simply arranging a meeting with someone who can support you with one of your goals, be it a fitness trainer, accountant or financial planner (more on why ‘getting help’ might be a good move later on…)

The reality is that most goals are achieved in the same way. In tiny bite sized chunks.

However it also requires the next thing we have on our list…

3) Take regular Action and form habits…

You can’t build anything substantial without one key component. A competent which sounds so obvious but is all too often overlooked…

You have to take regular action!

I’m conscious that I might win the award for the most obvious statement of 2017 (so far anyway!) but all too often do our plans, hopes, dreams and aspirations go awry due to the fact that we don’t take the required action…

If you want to get fitter you need to do something about it you need to run, train or play sports regularly. If you wanted to write a book you’ll need to write regularly until the entire book is written. Anything you want to create, achieve or build will be built by regular, consistent, committed action.

Regular action also builds habits. You train regularly and keeping fit becomes a habit. You write regularly and it becomes part of your routine. You build habits to save, invest and review your financial affairs and after a time it’s second nature.

‘taking action’ sound easy in practice doesn’t it? However often we stop taking this regular action which builds into habits before habits are formed! There are a number of ways to continue taking action including setting clear goals and working toward them in small chunks.

However one additional thing which can help is…

4) Being accountable

We are social animals...

Often we need the help of others to achieve what we want in our lives.

It’s why being accountable is so important. If you tell other people what you’re aiming to achieve and ask them to help you stay on track by checking in regularly it might be just what you need to keep you on track until new habits are developed.

If you’re trying to get fit a ‘training buddy’ might be useful. If you’re looking to take control of your family finances working with your partner (along with potentially working with a professional) more closely might be the way to go. If you’re trying to give up a habit you might want to ask a friend to keep you on track.

However if all of that fails…

5) Get help

We work with a decent number of successful people who have managed to build businesses. The reality is that although we pride ourselves on delivering a great service to our clients…we learn a lot from the people we work in partnership with as much as they get from us. One thing which we find as a trait in many successful intelligent people is…

They know when to get, and ask for, help.

If you asked many of our clients they might describe it differently. They may call it ‘delegation’ or ‘working in partnership’ however a trait in many a successful person is they know when and how to ask for help and support in one particular aspect of their lives so they can focus their time on what their particularly good at.

Often many people don’t ask for help, particularly with establishing a financial plan, because of the cost involved. However many of our clients consider working with us an investment to ensure they are on track to achieve their financial goals.

Now working in partnership with a professional isn’t right for anyone…

However if you’ve tried to get fit and are still struggling working with a personal trainer might be the way to go…

If you want help with some business challenges either a business coach or management accountant might be worth consulting…

or

If you want clarity on your financial plan it might be worth consulting a professional financial planner.

Feel free to contact us if we can help, our email is cassiedaems@cervellofp.co.uk and our number is 01708 606 202.