Starting the year can be intimidating. You need to prioritize projects and figure out what goals to set. You might have listened to various pundits about how to set goals or how to start a daily practice to stay focused on achieving the ones you set. Yet it has been documented that many people don't make it past the first few weeks of January before they give up or just quit.
If you question where to start or wonder if the goals are too aggressive, there is a chance that niggling doubts may appear. Allowing doubts to creep in can derail your progress. In fact, the doubts can stop your interest and motivation to work on them.
Often opinions vary about how to deal with doubts. While some gurus have said not to consider setting any goals for the year, others encourage setting smaller, realistic goals that are more achievable.
Try This: Affirm Your Doubts Away
If you get stuck setting goals or acting on a few goals because they seem to big, an idea to do this week is to use affirmations. Each morning, take a couple minutes to focus on 3-5 tasks that point to dispelling your doubts. Here are few examples to help you write your own affirmations:
- Feel that you don’t know where to start? The right support will give me confidence.
- Have to figure it all out on your own? It only takes one step to start each goal.
- Didn’t achieve your goals from last year so felt like a failure? I am ready and able to achieve each goal with baby steps and ease.
These are just a few ideas to help you get started with affirmations that fit your situation and help shift your mindset away from doubt to success. I use a list of affirmations every day to help me counter any doubts or difficulties that arise.