Maintain Your Energy to Achieve Your Goals

Welcome to 2023! Here is a controversial take on the usual thing we do as humans at the start of any given year; I hope you did not make any New Year’s resolutions! Why is that you might ask? Because most of them are broken before we even get out of the second week of the year. That’s about when this article will be published on The Compass. Here are some quick facts and figures that another smart person gathered on this tradition (thanks to Mick de Boer of Inside out Mastery for doing the heavy lifting).

Millions of people make resolutions (38.5 percent of adults to be exact), of those, 29 percent quit in the first week, and only 36 percent make it past the first month. So does anyone successfully keep their resolutions? Yes, about 9 percent. Interestingly, the demographic that makes the most resolutions is young adults (ages 18 – 34). Another fact is the top three resolutions are health related with 48 percent wanting to exercise more. Here’s a fun historical foot note from Mike’s research, “It was the Babylonians who made the first resolutions about 4,000 years ago when they celebrated the spring harvest of barley, a 12-day festival called Akitu.” 

Where I’m going with all this is the notion that there’s a better way. Yes, it’s the beginning of a new year with a clean slate that comes with a sense of energy for the future. My hope is that you have read some of my past articles on pre-planning for this new year that is now upon us. If you did that planning, then you have a good idea of what your primary goals are as well as the tasks needed to get them accomplished. If you’re reading this for the first time and thinking it’s too late if you did not do that, know this; It is never too late to start putting a plan in place.

My top FIVE tips for you this month though are not about creating those goals or plans so be sure to go back and do that work for yourself. My focus this month is going to be on ways to maintain energy all year long for the tasks ahead. Like eating an energy bar before that run or bike ride. Think of this as your energy bar (pick your favorite brand and flavor) for the journey ahead.

Here are my top FIVE ideas on how to maintain your energy so you can achieve your goals. Goals have staying power as opposed to resolutions that are just made in the moment:

1. Understand Your WHY – Experts around the world agree that you need to deeply understand why you want to change or achieve your goals. Consider these questions; What is your big motivation? Why is it NOW necessary to achieve these results? Having a hard time getting there then ask, what will it mean to me if I don’t? Some would argue that if your WHY is not big enough, or you can’t express it in terms of dreams, then it could be a challenge from the get-go until you can define that. So keep trying to understand your WHY, even if you define it better for yourself two years from now.
2. One Word – I began the practice of coming up with “one word” for the year. I started this over seven years ago when I owned my own business. This was a word I could hold up as my motivational force throughout the year. It becomes a mantra for the year that motivates me towards my goals. One year it was “inspire”, and this year it is “adventure”. No need to explain it away to anyone else, it just has to have meaning to you. Need some ideas? Here is a good article  titled “250 Personal Word of the Year Ideas”.
3. Pace Yourself – I’m often heard telling our newest travel advisors that learning this business is a marathon, not a sprint. In any given year, your drive toward achieving your goals can benefit from the same idea. Long distance runners understand that in order to finish they have to pace themselves so they still have enough “gas” in the tank to cross the finish line. It’s human nature at times to be shortsighted and to push through short-term goals so we can check things off the list. We always have to keep the big picture goals for the year top of mind. Here is a trick; write these major goals down on a white board that you keep on the wall in your office.
4. Compete With YOU – I have shared this before, but it’s worth repeating. We’re our own worst enemies sometimes and can get caught up in a flawed belief system that we aren’t doing enough. It’s because we tend to compare ourselves to others who we perceive are like us. Aside from relative time in the business and being a part of this industry, there are usually no other similarities between two entrepreneurs. Competing against yourself is tracking your own “personal best” achievements each year or your business history. What do I mean? Let’s say your personal best in sales one month is $122,000 then that is your personal best to beat. Track three to five key metrics in your business that speak to your goals. Put this on the same whiteboard as before. You are allowed to erase that number when you have achieved a new personal best in that category. You will be surprised how motivating that is.
5. Find an Accountability Partner – Look for a peer that has the same drive as you and you know has some big goals set for themselves. Offer to be an accountability partner with them. There are many credible ways to get business, marketing or sales help but having a good accountability partner you can do regular check-ins with is one of the most valuable things I’ve heard successful advisors doing. It’s not ALL they are doing but it sure helps keep them energized and focused all year long.

Whew! I’m not sure about you, but I’m warmed up and ready for the marathon ahead in 2023. I hope you found some inspiration in these words to replace those resolutions with solid business goals. Then be sure to keep your energy stored so you can cross the finish line triumphantly. Here’s to Your Success!

Have a topic you think should be considered for future editions of Travel Hi Five? Get in touch with me at mmussey@travelleaders.com.