Here is to a Happy New Year and the new goals and the results you will achieve in the next few months. You have given yourself a mission and a purpose to aim higher. Will that motivation last? For the sake of your year in life, I hope you have a better plan than just giving yourself a New Year’s resolution. If you are one of those who gave yourself a resolution with no action plan, you will want to continue reading on.

To make this year your best, you must be aware of three factors. Those three factors will be:

1. Where are you?
2. Where do you want to be?
3. Your mindset. 

Whenever I tell clients this process, they are always a bit let down because they are like that’s it! I can’t relate, but I am sure it is akin to only lasting a minute in bed. That disappointment is the same as learning Santa is unreal, and all dogs don’t go to heaven. Whatever triggers your brain for a letdown, this is that moment.

At that moment, when they learn that my process for helping you get the results you want in your life is so simple, they get confused. That confusion stems from the idea of success being rare and hard to achieve. Reaching success requires determination and focus, yes, but it is not something that is necessarily complicated. For example, if you want to show up in your life, you must first find out why you are not showing up; step one is where you are.

Understanding where you are is an arguable first step. Step three is also important because I am a mindset coach, but when it comes to taking action, you must be able to see the problem before changing your mindset. For example, if you are obese and want to regain control of your body, the easiest fix would be to watch your consumption, not go to the gym. This is the concept of knowing where you are. If you need to know where you are, how can you find out where you want to be?

The second step is to find out where you want to be. Of course, you would work with a coach to find out where you are, and in step two, you would work with your coach to develop an action plan to help you get to where you want to be. The results will take time, so it is essential to understand that where you want to be is going to be a step-by-step process. If you can recall the article I wrote recently on small victories, you will understand that the small steps add to the big picture.

The second step is filled with many things, both good and bad. The good is that you will be invigorated with a sense of motivation and be excited about the changes because you will associate the difference with higher self-esteem and happiness. These are all good things, but step two has a dark side. Step two requires the most amount of work. The work is not only classified as work that has to be put into physical action but work that has to be put into mental action. This is where step three comes into play.

Step three is going to be dealing with what type of mindset you have. You will not have figured it out yet, but I will tell you the secret to this formula we create for our clients. It is a circle. That means you start where you are, figure out where you want to be, and then look at your mindset. You keep going around the circle until you develop a strategy to take action.

Of course, there will be things that have to be discussed in finer detail, but the first part of this article was to give it to your straight so that you can get your mind right. Now I will be breaking it down for you on the micro level and share with you all the pitfalls and hurdles many people face when they begin this process during New Year. The good news is that since we have a rush of motivation, we can use it while it lasts and develop a system that will carry off through the rest of the year.

Setting up a system and allowing the system to work for you is just short of an evil plan. The good news here at Reven Concepts is we train our minds to look at the positive and the possibilities. Yes, you will have to be able to see the hurdles and challenges, but we treat them as stepping stones or learning moments, not things that we cannot overcome.

When I begin each new year, I walk myself through the three steps, and I get a good understanding of what I need to do. The good news is that I already know my strengths and weaknesses, so I am ahead of the game. When I work with new clients, I have to figure out their shortcomings through the process because many people need to learn why they do not take action. I will tell you that most people do not take action for two reasons. The first is the fear of failure, and the second is bad habits.

I like to help my clients in no particular order, but when I need to help them with either of these two areas, I start with the bad habits. I start with bad habits because they can set us back if we do not become aware of them. I am familiar with the fear of failure, and I know it can be beaten very easily; however, habits are the silent killer of our goals and the results that will follow.

Taking a look at the aspect of fear shows us that the fears we have are false. When we are born, we only have two fears. Those fear include the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises. As we grow and develop, we give ourselves more fears, such as the fear of missing out, the fear of failure/success, the fear of public speaking, or the fear of death. Though some of these fears are valid for the brain, there will be some that do not bring about any good if we hold onto them.

Our brain is unique and not impressive at the same time. Amazingly, it can keep us alive without even paying attention. We have an automated response system that we only realize is there if we pay attention. Imagine how annoying it would be to remember to breathe every few seconds. Though the brain makes life easy, it also provides a healthy amount of obstacles we must overcome.

The brain’s primary function is to keep us alive, and when the brain perceives fear, it sees it as a dangerous moment that could end our life. If we are not living or our brain is not functioning, then we are dead. The fact that the brain perceives most fears, if not all, as dangerous makes it challenging to make sense if the fear is genuinely life-threatening or something made up in our minds.

We have come a long way from our troglodytes days and do not have to worry about our basic needs. We do not have to worry about fighting for our life because we have laws, police, and doctors to help us stay alive and safe. So if fear stops us from seeing an opportunity, we have to take control of fear because most of the fears we have or give ourselves do not add to our life; they just take away.

Then looking at habits will help us understand what we allow in our life. We might be wasting too much time on inconsequential things, and we must adjust. At least 60% of the clients I work with, maybe even more, require habit work. This means that I will work with them on creating better routines and habits because one of the most common excuses I get is that there’s not enough time in the day.

In reality, we all have the same 24 hours to make something of our life. Some people take the right actions while others squander their time; regardless of where you are on that list, having strong and consistent habits will help you achieve any goal. This is done because action and consistency equal results. It is a simple formula for success, but many people would rather have no action than results. Last time I checked, we weren’t living in a fantasy world, so we must stop thinking like we are in one.

To make this year the best year yet, you must be willing to face your inner demons. Those demons are the limiting beliefs holding you back from taking action and being more. Making the conscious choice to change your subconscious mind will be vital to your New Year’s Resolution to make this year the best year yet. Stay tuned to all the content we publish in the coming months. Remember, at Reven Concepts, we have blogs, coaching services, podcast episodes, and motivational videos that can be utilized for your growth and progress. Making 2023 the best year yet, just became a whole lot easier!

Until then,

Michael Rearden

Founder of Reven Concepts