Resolution Solution by Jeff Lancaster
Published Fri 25 Feb 2022
Each January, millions of Australians launch their new year with a resolution. Lose weight. Stop smoking. Save more money. Spend more time with the family. Get fitter. Make a representative sports team. Statistically, despite the best intentions, most will fail to achieve their new year’s resolutions, with nearly 80 percent giving up by the end of February.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Here are seven tips to increasing your chances of success in 2022:
Play - Keep your actions and focus enjoyable. Elements of curiosity, playfulness and optimism help support the positive pursuit of outcomes.
Perform - Maintain your effort. Taking action keeps you moving forward toward your goal. Small steps toward a journey are often more significant, achievable and motivational than trying to achieve huge leaps forward. Momentum is what matters.
Purpose - Connect your actions to a bigger purpose. Aligning your goals to purpose and passion increases your engagement and resilience.
Pivot - Recognise that challenges are often presented along the path to your goals. In the moment they may seem overwhelming. Instead of stopping, try pivoting. See the obstacle but identify a path around it - and learn not to see it as a barrier but a bridge.
Prepare - Do everything you can to support your journey before you begin your journey. Sun Tzu stated in the Art of War, "The victory is often won before the battle begins". Do everything you can to prepare yourself for your journey. Try visualisation as a support tool.
Perspective - We often see what we look for. Use your observing eye rather than your perceiving eye to identify a way forward without judgement. Try reframing when you the way ahead seems uncertain, chaotic or challenging.
Progress - Acknowledge and reward your progress. It's important to recognise the steps you have taken toward your goal. Use a growth and gratitude journal to help on your journey.
To further support you, Hockey Queensland has partnered with Jeff Lancaster to publish Courage Enough, a journal to help you get from where you are to where you want to be.
CLICK HERE to download Courage Enough
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Jeff Lancaster is Hockey Queensland's mental performance and engagement coach. He works with athletes, coaches and teams in Australia and the USA to help improve performance and engagement in sport.
