A new year is looming and talk of ‘New Year, New Me’ is in the air, with many aiming to get fit, get healthier, get better with money – getting better at something (anything) is the order of the day. A new goal, hobby or habit requires discipline, so when setting your own, take it through the 5 stages…..

Step 1…Get rid of the excuses

We all do it “I’ll go tomorrow”, “I’ll start tomorrow” – things become a lot easier to do when you just do them. Speaking from experience, I am the worst for stalling and putting things off. Bite the bullet (or in my case, pick up the phone, make the call, meet the deadline) and just DO IT!

Step 2…Create routines

According to University College London it takes (on average) over 2 months for a new behaviour or habit to become automatic — 66 days to be exact. You can’t expect something to ‘settle’ into your life after a few days or weeks. Be patient and give it time!

Step 3…Is it worth it?

If you approach your new goal with anything less than 100%, you have to ask yourself how much you actually want it in the first place. “Do it with passion or not at all”.

Step 4…Invest

Whether it’s time, money or effort that’s required – you need to be prepared to give it everything you’ve got.

Step 5…Keep going

You’ll get there!