Welcome to 2008 - is it going to be the year that you want it to be? Becky Hall from Bradley Stoke motivational firm Focus:Future has compiled her top five tips for a great start to the new year.

And if the tips have got you interested in making changes to your life, Becky is offering readers of The Bradley Stoke Examiner a fantastic 15% discount on a course of four sessions of life coaching.

Contact Becky Hall on 07977 132124 or email becky@focusfuture.co.uk and quote ‘BSE1′ to learn more about taking control of your life this year.

Tip one:

Put aside some time: Create space and comfortable environment, so that you can focus on what you want to achieve. Write down what you want, if this doesn’t inspire you, use pictures, draw, or print some out from the internet and make a poster for yourself.

Tip two

Be realistic, let’s face it, you aren’t going to be an astronaut in 12 months, so think about SMART objectives, specific, measurable, realistic and time bound.

For example, if you want to lose weigh it would be:

S: I want to drop one clothing size.
M: I need to lose 8lbs
A: I can put things in place to achieve this
R: Is this realistic? How much do I want to make this my priority?
T: When, in realistic time will I achieve this? At a rate of 2lbs per week, in one month, so by the end of February, for example.

These objectives really help you focus on the HOW part of your resolutions. It’s easy to say you are going to try to lose weight, for example, but unless you really nail it down as a tangible, measurable goal, you won’t ever know when you have achieved it. By doing this you risk becoming disheartened and losing motivation.

Tip three

Plan for failure: Always have plan B ready! Life has a cunning way of jumping up and changing things suddenly. What will you do? Using the diet example; your partner takes you out for a slap up meal. What will you do? Fall off the wagon and compensate for this afterwards, reviewing your target, or will you diligently choose the most healthy options from the menu and limit what you eat? Or even warn your partner that you are really committed for a certain amount of time, and therefore would like to do things together that don’t threaten your endeavours.

Tip four

Break the goal into manageable chunks and create a rewards system. Using the diet example again, perhaps you have more weight to lose and this will require a consistent commitment over a longer period of time. You will keep focussed by monitoring your progress and having rewards, each time you make a significant advance. Perhaps you put £2 in a jar for every pound you lose, and then pay for a massage, or treat yourself to a trip to the movies, or spending time with a person you care for. It doesn’t really matter what you choose to do, so long as it is meaningful for you and you enjoy and relish it.

Tip five

Buy in support. Back to the trusty diet example, slimming groups are continually raving about the success in weight loss, due to attending groups and making a social commitment. You may not think it applies to you, but to varying levels, we are all social animals. When we keep something to ourselves, it’s much easier to forget it, or lose motivation. When you say something out loud and show to the world that you are committed, something magical happens. You will find that your commitment, determination and motivation are much higher.

Perhaps you hire a personal trainer or a coach, tell your partner, your kids, colleagues, family and friends. Rave about it, and imagine yourself already having achieved it. What does it feel like? Take in the detail, what does it smell, taste and look like? How do people respond to you now you have achieved your resolution? This will get your mind focussing on your success at a subconscious level.

For more information contact Becky Hall on 07977 132124 or email becky@focusfuture.co.uk to learn more about taking control of your life this year. Becky is offering a discount of 15% on a course of four sessions for Bradley Stoke Examiner readers when you quote BSE1.