Five goals to bring out the inner winner
Identifying what you want to achieve in life is the key
to happiness
Experts say happiness at home and work is likely to
help give you the biggest long-term health benefits — so set some goals to make
2019 your best year yet.
In a study at Ohio University, psychologist David
Niven found people who identified a goal were 19 per cent more likely to feel
satisfied with their lives and 26 per cent more likely to feel positive about
themselves.
Another study by Brandeis University in
Massachusetts, New York’s University of Rochester and the German Institute for
Economic Research found that feeling a sense of control over one’s life reduced
mortality risk by 13 per cent.
Life coach Royston Guest shares tips for getting the
most out of life.
Take a bird’s-eye view of your
life
Most of us fall into two categories and Royston
describes them by using a scene from a nightclub. He says: “We’re either ‘on
the dance floor’, amid all the energy and chaos of our modern lives, with
fast-paced jobs, demanding home lives and never-ending digital culture.
“But to realise our potential, we need to spend time
‘on the balcony’ — where we take a step back, observe and study our lives with
a much broader perspective. This selfawareness helps us make conscious choices
on how we want to shape our lives without the noise and distraction of
everything going on around us.”
Identify the different parts of
you
Realise that when you’re a parent you’re not just
making decisions for yourself. Life is hectic and it’s easy to be swept along.
Sit down, away from distractions, turn off your phone and write a list of how
you juggle the four parts that make up you. There is the personal you, the
professional you, the relationship you and the parent you. Ensure each ‘me’ is
in balance.
Define what success means
If you’ve ever written a bucket list, re-assess it
and work out what tangible goals you can achieve. Finding a successful role
model can help keep you motivated too. Choose things that make you happy, make
your heart sing.
Analyse your progress
To succeed, we need to be forming new habits and
regularly watching how close we are to reaching our goals. Design your ‘high
performance week’ where you map out what you want to achieve. Include family
time or trips to the gym too — because if you don’t book them in, they won’t
happen. At the end, have a ‘review’ and consider what went well, what didn’t
and what you can learn.
Be motivated by your own
mortality
Thinking about how long we have left of our lives
should be uplifting rather than depressing. Royston suggests imagining that
you’re listening to the eulogy at your own funeral. Rather than ‘could haves’,
you should focus on achieving the things you want to be known for and feel
proud of. Use mortality as a motivator to stop living on autopilot and take
ownership of your life. It’s a powerful driver for creating meaning and focus
in what you do.
— Daily Mirror
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