Did you make some New Year Resolutions? Have you managed to stick to them or, like many of us, have they slipped and not really become a habit or produced the results you hoped for?

The problem with making New Year Resolutions is that they are for the most part too vague. Typically we say things like ‘I want to lose weight’, ‘I want to eat healthily’, ‘I want to get fit’, ‘I want a new job’, ‘I want to find love’. These are the ultimate goals but there is no real plan of action.

And if there is no plan then we often give up quickly. Research tells us that it takes at least 21 days to make something a habit, longer if it is something big.

So what can you do?

1. Be specific – eg how much weight do you want to lose, how exactly will you do it.
2. Accountability – tell someone your plans and ask them to be your accountability partner
3. Set goals – Break it down and set small achievable goals
4. Ask for help – Get the right support, advice and motivation from a professional. There are excellent Personal Trainers, Life Coaches and Nutritionists all trained to support you reach your goals.
5. Tackle one goal at a time – trying to change everything at once is less likely to work.

So, what are your goals for 2016?

Need support? I now have appointments available, including baby friendly sessions and flexible sessions for busy mums.

So I just completed the Passion Profile Quiz by Clarity on Fire. They say there are 4 possible outcomes and if you work out which you are it will guide you towards your passion. Turns out I’m a Thriver, meaning I’m the kind of person who is all about creating a balanced, low-stressed lifestyle that gives me the freedom and energy to pursue what I love in my free time. It was spot on!

Luckily for me I have known for a long time what my passion is being a Life Coach and fulfils that whilst creating a work-life balance that I desire. But what do you, if like many people, you don’t know what your passion is?

Most people I work with need my support to help them work out their passions and therefore their goals. Usually it is connected with deciding on a career or setting up their own business. But it can also relate to other areas of your life such as finding hobbies and activities.

So why do we find it so hard to know what our passion is? Well, if you think about it, from childhood our passions and dreams are often not supported by our education system or nurtured by family. Think of jobs that are creative and popular today. There are no courses at school for blogging, creating Apps or computer games or being a writer or a personal trainer. And often our family and friends want us to secure something reliable, steady and with a good income so you will hear comments such as ‘you can’t make a living from Art’ or ‘blogging is fun but it’s not a real job’ and so we push our passions to the side and grow up without much passion for anything. Or, you may find that you are interested in many things but don’t know where your true passion lies.

The good news is:

• Passion can be created. Many successful people such as Richard Branson dropped out of school early and created their own passions and success.
• Passion comes from success. Doing something we are good at makes us passionate about it. If you constantly struggle with something you will never become passionate about it.
• Passion doesn’t always come from being good at only 1 thing. Success is usually combining many skills into one passion. eg. You might not be a degree level artist but pretty good at drawing and with a great sense of humour so you become a cartoonist.

Steps to Find Your Passion

So what next? Ask yourself:

1. What have I been consistently interested in for months, years or from childhood? There are clues here to help clarify your passion.
2. How do you want you passion to be expressed? Be honest. Do you need to be part of a team? Does it need to be part of your day-to-day work life? How well do you respond to authority? Are you motivated to work for yourself?

Then:

• Create something that fits for you. Even better if it is something new with not so many people doing it yet. Less competition means more success and more passion!
• Don’t be scared to lead a new trend. Got a great idea? Don’t be put off that not many are doing it yet. Be bold and go for it!
• Think creatively and combine your skills. The most successful people are almost never defined by a single skill. Find your passion by combining your skills in to something more valuable.

Finding your passion in life will make you not only successful but happy too. Don’t stop looking for it!