PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Many people are ready to set goals for the new year as 2024 winds down. A Philly life coach offers some tips on how to stay on track.
There is nothing wrong with self-assessment, says Paula Michelle Boyle, who heads up Life Coach Philly. No one knows you better than yourself. So whatever your New Year’s resolution may be — whether to lose weight, make more money or just be a better version of yourself — making a plan is essential for success.
“Everyone can use a coach. We all get stuck from time to time. Life coaches use other coaches to help them assess their life,” Boyle said.
She says everyone has a different motivation, and understanding what motivates you to stay on track is key. Many are motivated by results.
“When we're measuring it, we can see our achievement, and when we see our achievements, even if they're small achievements, we feel a sense of victory, and it gives us motivation to want to stay with that program.”
Boyle says sometimes we aim for goals that may be out of reach within the timeframe we set for ourselves, which can lead to disappointment or an abandonment of the goal.
“Sometimes people set their goals too big, and then they get discouraged because it's something that is not attainable. So, you know, we suggest that we take baby steps.”
And falling off of the wagon is part of the journey so if you eat the cake don’t toss the diet! Bole says if we make small, bite-sized goals and consistently take small steps in the direction of those goals, we'll eventually get there.
“The thing that happens as we get sidetracked, challenges come up, and we lose focus of where we're going and what we want, and we get stuck.”
And, Boyle says, it's at that stuck point where we need to look deeper.