2013 Commitments: Don’t Break the Chain

As we enjoy the last day of 2012 I have another commitment for you to make for 2013.

It’s something a friend taught me years ago: Don’t Break the Chain.

As kids, we all loved making those loopy countdown chains to get ready for vacation, Christmas, the end of school. But this flips that practice to envision creating a new paper chain where you get to add a loop every day you achieve your new habit. And every time you consider skipping on your habit just think “don’t break the chain.”

It reminds me of another motivational poster that comes up online frequently,

If you don’t like starting over, stop stopping.

January is a rough month for most people. It’s still dark and dreary outside, the holidays are done but may not have lived up to expectations, some struggle with finances as the bills come in, and we’re faced with a ton of pressure to revamp our entire lives right now.

Here are three ways you can stop stopping and keep your motivation this January:

1) Go back to Your Goals, Everything Else Can Wait
It’s temping to change your eating habits, commit to 3 hours at the gym every night, have perfect relationships, implement everything in your business, blog every day, and attempt to become perfect in January. But that’ll only set you up for failure.

So go back to the goals and remember that it’s okay to focus on one thing at a time. Slow and steady progress will often outlast drastic changes over time. If you’re committed to a new lifestyle then go for incremental changes. One goal at a time.

2) Stop Self Judgment
It’s easy to beat yourself up when you miss a blog post or forget to log into Twitter for a week. But the overall message of “don’t break the chain” has to be “keep building even if you miss a day” because otherwise you throw out all your progress.

There are times when you’re not going to launch a program on the exact date you chose in your Marketing Calendar or when your invoices go out Saturday instead of Friday at noon. In either case you don’t give up on everything you’ve created, you simply adjust.

And it’s easier to adjust to a new date, a new deadline, if you’re not beating yourself up. Back in November, I counseled many of my clients on how the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy would influence their plans and launches. It’s challenging when our plans change, but it’s also part of life. Don’t hate yourself when they do.

3) Get the Right Support
If you’re trying to do it all on your own, the effort may very well take more than the task. You know how it is when you think all day long “I need to go to the gym. Ugh, the gym, the gym…” and it’s taking more mental energy to psych yourself up than it is to actually work out. The same thing happens in our businesses when these tasks or commitments hang over our heads and weigh on us daily.

Support is so key; you’ll find it’s much easier with the right accountability. Having the right people around you to encourage, kick your butt, or help you out may mean the difference between progress and giving up.

Accountability comes in many forms. Some people join mastermind groups, others work best one to one, still others want this kind of support from a coach or mentor.

As you consider how your goal chains are thread in 2013, it’s important to remember the why behind it all. The underlying commitment to your business should shine through, making the difficult times worthwhile in the end. Even when it’s hard, remember that it’s harder to stop and restart later. Keep building your habits, don’t break the chain and stop stopping.

And if you need accountability and support in 2013, contact our team to discuss how we can support your 2013 goals.