As a coach, you know that helping your clients reach their goals is one of the most fulfilling parts of the job. But when it gets close to the end of the year, you may notice your coaching clients start overloading themselves with resolutions—setting themselves up for a stressful journey ahead.
The pressure of achieving New Year’s Resolutions can be overwhelming and, unfortunately, doesn’t often lead to transformative change.
Luckily, there are ways to help your clients set healthy goals that they can actually stick with long term.
Instead of focusing on the quick resolution fixes that can become unsustainable in the long term, help your clients take a holistic approach to living their best life and achieving their goals this New Year.
By embodying authenticity, they’ll be able to set goals that are in line with their values and hold themselves accountable for sticking to them.
Before we get into how you can help your coaching clients make lasting resolutions for the New Year, let’s look at why so many of us fail to stick to our resolutions in the first place.
Why Do So Many People Abandon Their Resolutions So Quickly?
Unfortunately, many people find that they have difficulty sticking with their resolution(s) in the long term due to a lack of clarity around what exactly it is they are trying to achieve—or because their goals aren’t aligned with their values or authentic self.
Without this alignment, our motivation wanes quickly and it becomes hard to keep up the momentum necessary to see results. This is why it’s so important to focus on authenticity when setting and pursuing goals.
When a goal is in alignment with our values, it becomes much easier to stay on track and make progress. Whether you’re helping your coaching clients adjust their lifestyle habits, set financial targets for themselves, or something else entirely, working towards goals that are authentic will help them find the motivation, resilience, and mental fortitude to stay on track.
How To Ensure Resolutions And Goals Are Aligned With Authentic Values & Self
If you want to ensure that your coaching clients’ goals are aligned with their values and authentic self, there are several steps you can take. First of all, have your clients ask themselves the following questions. If you’re talking to them one-on-one, you can even take a few minutes to do this exercise with them.
(And if you need help setting resolutions in your own life, these questions can be just as helpful for you!)
What are my values?
This is easier asked than answered, but it is important to get honest with yourself here and identify what you truly prioritize in life. Asking yourself exactly why you are setting a particular goal can also help. It’s easy to get caught up in the idea of achieving a certain goal or status, but it’s important to take a step back and ask yourself if it is something that you genuinely care about and want in your life.
What kind of person do I want to be?
Think about the type of person you want to become—and the future that you want to create. How can you embody these qualities in your daily life? To stay true to your values, these qualities must be reflected in how you live each day.
What kind of life do I want to live?
In addition to the type of person you want to be, think about the kind of life that you want to live. What do you prioritize in your life? What kind of relationships do you want to have? How will your goals help you lead that kind of life?
By taking the time to get clear on your values and the vision for your life that you want to create, it will become easier to set goals that are in line with your authentic self and that you are likely to stick with.
What actions will help me achieve my goals and resolutions in a way that reflects these values and authentically expresses myself?
Once you have identified your values and the kind of life you want to live, it’s time to get clear on how you can take action to reach your goals in a way that is true to yourself. Make sure you turn each goal into specific, tangible actions and set achievable timelines. This will help you stay on track and make sure that your actions reflect the values you have identified.
Answering these questions will give you greater clarity about what it is you truly desire from life and how best you can go about achieving it. Don’t worry about finding “perfect” answers—the best thing you can do is be honest with yourself and strive to create goals that make sense for your unique journey.
How To Set Goals & Achieve Them In A Sustainable Way
Make sure your goals are S.M.A.R.T. Goals– Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound.
This means giving yourself clear objectives which can easily be tracked so you can measure your progress; ensuring that the outcomes you set out are achievable given your resources; making sure your goal relates directly back to your desired outcome; and setting a timeline for completing tasks associated with each goal or resolution.
It’s also important to give yourself flexibility and room to adjust your goals as needed, as well as build in rewards or recognition along the way to stay motivated.
As we enter 2023, keep yourself in check and take time to reflect on your progress:
What’s working?
What are you learning?
How could you make things even better?
Doing some regular self-assessment will ensure that your goals are still aligned with your authentic values, and that you can make the best of your journey.
Tying It All Together
Living authentically means knowing who we truly are on the inside – our values, beliefs, desires – before creating an action plan for achieving success in any area of life (including reaching our New Year’s resolutions). By staying focused on this inner knowing while also having realistic expectations about what we can accomplish within certain parameters (SMART Goals), we stand a much better chance at seeing tangible results from our efforts over time thus ensuring lasting success.
When we strive for excellence while being true to ourselves at the same time we tap into a higher level of personal fulfillment.
When we take action from a place of authenticity and in alignment with our most fundamental values, we are more likely to experience greater satisfaction and well-being from reaching our desired outcomes.
Remember that a successful life is not only measured by our achievements and accomplishments but also by how we live each day. So take the time to understand your values, create goals that reflect them and live in accordance with who you truly are. Doing this will ensure that whatever 2023 brings—you will be ready to make the most of it.
