Tag: resolutions

25 ways to celebrate 2

25 Ways to Celebrate Any Accomplishment!

Posted on by Jessica Johnson

Your efforts and outcomes deserve to be noticed.

Life needs more celebrations, more opportunities to recognize our hard work and our successes, alone and with others. Celebration is so healthy for us, especially during hard seasons in life!

Celebrate even in hard times

2020 has been a hard year for many of us. We’ve had the global COVID-19 pandemic, civic unrest and riots in many major cities, outrageous wildfires and high levels of unemployment and financial struggle for so many people. 

In the midst of all this, I know there has still been good things going on. People are changing, gaining insight, accomplishing goals, setting new habits and doing what they can to live their best life! Certainly 2020 has not turned out the way anyone envisioned back in January, nonetheless there have been positives for many of us. 

Two recently accomplished goals 

Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay

One of my big goals for 2020 was to pass the National Counselor Exam and finish up the supervision hours needed to apply for my license as a Mental Health Counselor. As of July, I had met all these requirements and by the end of September my application was approved by the Washington state licensing department. Hallelujah!!!! In addition to being a credential life coach I am now a licensed mental health counselor.

A second big goal of mine for 2020 was to engage in a mentor coaching program so I could renew my coaching credential with the International Coach Federation (ICF). I continued to work full time during the pandemic, but due to social events at a standstill this summer I had the extra time needed to advance my coaching skills through my selected mentoring program.  I’ll soon be applying to renew my coaching credential through ICF and that feels so good!

 

So now it is time to CELEBRATE!!!

Let’s celebrate together! What are ready to celebrate? Successes can come from any area of your life. They might include:

  • Resolutions you may have set last new year’s
  • Specific goals you set for yourself
  • Work/school projects
  • Athletic/physical feats
  • Stopping/minimizing a bad habit
  • Increasing self-control over a really strong desire
  • Crossing something off your bucket list
  • Handling a surprise situation or crises moment well (or well enough)

Need some help identifying goals? This resource on goal setting will help!

Below is a list of some of my favorite ways to recognize a job well done, divided into categories for simplicity.

 

Move your Body

  • Enjoy a soothing time of yoga or tai chi
  • Turn on some of your favorite music and let it move you
  • Pamper your body somehow (massage, nails, haircut, nap, etc.)
  • Go for a walk in a beautiful place
  • Take a road trip (day trip or overnight)

Make it Social

  • Host a game night (in person or virtual)
  • Organize an online party (using a tool like zoom, google meet, or facetime)
  • Call a friend who helped you get to your goal
  • Share a meal with friends and/or family
  • Provide encouragement to someone else chasing a similar dream

Party for One

  • Journal about how it feels to have accomplished this and what you did to aid your success
  • Decorate your space with streamers, balloons or flowers
  • Create or draw a certificate for yourself
  • Pat yourself on the back, literally
  • Build a gratitude chain

Engage Your Spirit

  • Watch a funny or uplifting movie
  • Write a poem about your journey towards success
  • Meditate quietly and savor your satisfaction in a job well done
  • Sing a song of praise or celebration
  • Pray for others you interacted with during your journey towards success

Fun with Food

  • Make your favorite meal and appreciate its goodness as you eat
  • Picnic at the park, alone or with others
  • Pop open your favorite beverage and enjoy
  • Bake something you save for special occasions
  • Volunteer at/donate to a food shelter or soup kitchen

There’s no need to limit yourself to just one form or act of celebration. Many of these go together nicely or can be fun to do sequentially. Let yourself have fun and don’t be in a hurry! Don’t be afraid to celebrate. You’ve worked hard. Take some time to relish the experience and feel good for what you’ve done. You are worth it!

Originally posted for JLJ Coaching Services by Jessica Johnson in October, 2020. Permission to repost must be requested.

Direction in the New Year

Finding Direction in the New Year: When one word just isn’t enough

Posted on by Jessica Johnson

Have you ever picked a word for the year? It is a popular year end process. Picking a word for the year is a great way to focus your mind and goals for the coming year. It helps create more life-clarity too! I’ve done it several times, but as a visual thinker a word for the year sometimes just isn’t enough for me. I’ve found that picking a word for the year is just too limiting, too narrow, when I am seeking direction for my future. Have you also had a hard time coming up with just one word to guide your next steps?

Don’t settle for just one word for the year. Pick a guiding concept instead!

For several years now, I have expanded my year end reflection beyond just a word for the year. I look for a concept that will guide me through the coming months. This process of selecting an annual guiding concept is a great way to start goal setting for the year. A guiding concept creates a solid foundation for any resolutions or goals, not matter the size or focus of what you want to accomplish.

I’ve met other people who also don’t like to stick with just a word for the year. Instead they pick guiding concepts like a famous quote, a song or even an image. It doesn’t really matter what form it takes as long as the concept really resonates with you in powerful way. The key I’ve found is to pick one to start with and allow yourself to add to it in the future.

You may have picked something like this in the past, or perhaps it is a new practice for you. Either way, this practice is a great way to transition from one year into the next!

Continue reading “Finding Direction in the New Year: When one word just isn’t enough” →

Where to Start When Setting Goals

Where to Start When Setting New Goals

Posted on by Jessica Johnson

Setting goals can be an overwhelming process. It can feel intimating and confusing. It can be hard to know where to start when setting new goals for the future. Goals that are hard to make are hard to achieve!

I learned a powerful approach to goal setting in my 20s that I have used and shared ever since. The secret is to start by looking at the roles you play in life. You can also think of a role as the areas or categories in your life. This approach is part of Stephen Covey’s popular work around personal leadership, productivity and social interaction. I love his work! If you aren’t familiar with his main concepts, check out this good 7 Habits for Highly Effective People book summary.

Continue reading “Where to Start When Setting New Goals” →

weekly refresh

How A Weekly Refresh Creates Resolution Success

Posted on by Jessica Johnson

January is a season of fresh starts, new goals and high hopes. Many of us resolve to change bad habits, finally accomplish a specific goal, or simply live better lives. Oh, how I love this time of year, so full of promise and motivation!

Sadly though many of us are already suffering from something I call resolution fade…just a few weeks into the new year. Our drive was strong just a few weeks ago! Our hearts were in the right place! We were so confident in our aspirations. What happened? Where did we go wrong?

How quickly the resolve fades.

Because life can get tricky whenever we set out to make improvements, we often find ourselves giving up before seeing success. Challenges we face can make it hard to persevere, our resolve fades, and unless we push through…several times in fact…we are likely to give up on our goals and dreams of being or doing something different. That slow downhill process is what I’m calling Resolution Fade. And, if we don’t fight through when it starts to get difficult, as Jason Selk described in his article about the 21-Day Myth, our motivation wanes and our commitment to our new habits weakens over time.

Somehow we may even start to think we probably just set our goals too high or wonder what made us so confident just a few weeks ago. Eventually the desire is gone, we’ve fully given up, and hope we will have better luck next year.

It doesn’t have to be this way! You don’t have to be a victim of Resolution Fade in 2018! Not under my watch! I want you to be successful going after every goal you set!

Continue reading “How A Weekly Refresh Creates Resolution Success” →

UNYResolutions pic 2018

An Amazing Trick to Find Success and Satisfaction All Year Long

Posted on by Jessica Johnson

I learned an amazing trick this year that helped me find success and satisfaction with my resolutions all year long! Yep, this one thing guided my heart and mind every month of 2017. I’m eager to share it with you today!

A common way to set goals for the new year is by setting resolutions.

I know, I said that foul “R” word: resolutions…

Unfortunately, most people don’t find success when they set a resolution. This is exactly why I don’t normally set resolutions. I’ve always felt so much pressure and expectation to just fail at keeping my resolution and commitment. Yes, I would create SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time bound) goals for myself, but nothing I’d ever call a resolution.

Last December I decided to take a new approach to annual resolutions and goal setting. This method really worked, my friends, so I’m excited to share it with you!

Because of the format of my resolution, I was able to keep the two personal commitments I’d made all year long. Yes, I had some ups and downs along the way, but I never gave up because of the way I created my resolution. It helped me stay focused, motivated and realistic. As a result I was able to make great strides in my business goals, including:

  • publishing 10 blog posts on personal leadership and life management topics
  • writing an introduction and three chapters for my book on Life-Clarity
  • speaking at two conferences (one in California and one in Colorado) on coaching topics
  • recording 15 videos for my Moment of Clarity video series

What is it you want to accomplish in this next year?

Continue reading “An Amazing Trick to Find Success and Satisfaction All Year Long” →