Saturday, January 4, 2014

This Mother's Plan of Action to Tackle Her New Year Resolutions



So a New Year has begun!

Had the kids up late on New Years Eve watching the New Years festivities at Times Square. We had an absolute blast drinking bubbly grape juice until they dozed off as it was way past their bedtimes.

After tucking in the little ones for the first time in 2014, this mom spent the next hour and the last few days putting together goals for the new year or what other's would term as New Year's Resolutions.

(queue drama)
DUN DUN DUNNNNN...

I know the samething everyone says each January. They say they will do this and that and all these great things but come December they excuse all their goals because they were just "too busy".

Well for all mother's in the world out there who think it is impossible to juggle their personal goals while raising a set of rugrats, I just wanted to let you know that IT IS POSSIBLE!

2013 taught me a lot of lessons and one of them was what to expect when you put together a plan of action. Trust me, as good as it sounds on paper, there will be a lot of tough times. They'll be moments when you wonder why you ever embarked on the journey and other moments when you just lose all hope.

But all is not lost.

How To Prepare For Your New Years Resolutions:


1. To all the mothers thinking about the great reasons why they should make that positive resolutions, write it down RIGHT NOW! All the reasons you started the journey will be the reasons that keep you going when it gets tough. Whatever it is WRITE IT DOWN! Regardless of whether it's negative people thinking you can't, positive things like what'll you'll end up with, or even personal things like a promise you made someone you love.

This energy will help propel you when everything looks bleak.

2. Now write down the toughest thing you expect and focus those reasons towards that obstacle.

3. Visualize what your goal is! Whether it is to workout and get buns of steel or a six pack or even to trim off that excess pregnancy weight, visualize the finish line.

Emotional Rollercoaster that You Should Expect While Tackling Your Resolutions:



It will be tough. There were times I really wanted to cry during 2013 accomplishing my goals. But I kept a written diary of the experiences. It helped me to document how I was feeling at any given moment so that when I did have a bad day that I flip back a few pages and be reminded of the good times.

Every source of energy counts during this roller coaster.

Going back through my diary I can tell you that journey now sounds like a really crazy roller coaster but once you finish it, there is absolutely no greater feeling in the world.

The emotions I felt in chronological order are:

1. Hope and Promise
You get all warm in the beginning knowing that you're about to accomplish something great.

2. Extraordinarily Happy
The moment in the journey when you accomplish you're first goal. You feel like superwomen or supermom and that you're invincible and nothing can stand in your way.

3. Cockiness
After you start getting results for the first few months into the resolution you start being a little too happy. This is never a good stage as you can start to get on people's nerves. Note to women: you're husband will use your attitude at this stage against you later on so don't act too cocky and remember to stay humble here.

4. Anxiety
The first obstacle. This is where things start getting a little harder and testing whether you've got what it takes. Remember to keep at it.

5. Denial
You try your best to push through saying you're the best and looking to justify that your efforts are enough and that you don't have to change anything but to just hang on.

6. Panic
The moment you start to think that you really can't do it. Remember those notes on all the reasons why you embarked on the journey. Here you start looking at those for energy. The most important thing at this stage is to keep with it and the realization that you will have to make some amendments to your plan to succeed. With every success there's a moment you realize that what you gave wasn't enough and that there needs to be a greater effort on a different area. This is where you formulate that plan.

7. Depression or Hope
This is the breaking point stage. You either give up on your resolution which leads to depression or you devise a new game plan and start executing and seeing new results which leads to hope.

The Finish Line



When I finally accomplished my goals near the end of 2013, I felt great! Not cocky not overconfident but just a new found meaning of self-worth and appreciation for life.

At the end you get two prizes:

1. Your Final Results from Your Resolution

When I embarked on my journey at the beginning of 2013, I thought the realization of my goals would be the best thing I would get and it was great but the absolute greatest gift it gave was...

2. Knowing that You Can Accomplish Anything You Put Your All Into 

I must say the best thing there is no better feeling or reward than knowing you can accomplish anything you set out to do. This is definitely a lesson I want to pass along to my kids. It'll be tough and it'll get hard. But if you stay honest with yourself and committed the fruits of your labor will be tremendous.

Good luck to all who have made and are making 2014 New Years Resolutions!