With the New Year comes new resolutions and, for some people, burnout and disappointment as they fail to achieve their goals. But influencer, motivational speaker and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Yahsuh Fitbox, Shani McGraham-Shirley, says one way to conquer New Year’s resolutions is to throw them out!

Well, not quite entirely.

“I find for most people, setting up a New Year’s resolution sets them up for failure, and failure is a huge deterrent because they feel that when they set it every year, they never actually hit those goals. People make New Year’s resolutions so grand and so audacious that it’s really hard to nail it all the time,” McGraham-Shirley said.

However, McGraham-Shirley isn’t suggesting abandoning planning or goal-setting altogether.

“I like to tell people, you know, we tackle smaller realistic goals and we don’t need to wait for New Year’s,” she said, adding, “I like smaller manageable goals because I feel when we have small wins, it puts more wind in our sails.”

This isn’t to say don’t dream big. In sharing a number of tips for successfully completing your goals, McGraham-Shirley clarified that she is advising that we tap into our nature and talk ourselves up to the big things, citing the way that negative self-talk can cause us to fail by dampening our spirits and eroding our conviction.

“If we were to tell ourselves the positive things, it’s simply the power of suggestion,” she explained, “For [example] women who… have the talk with their husbands and say, you know, I think I might consider getting pregnant this year, everywhere they go, they see, a pregnant woman, a baby, a cradle, a car seat. They were always there before, but you never noticed because of the power of the mind and the power of suggestion,” she explained.

McGraham-Shirley says this “power of suggestion” that our minds are conditioned to can work to our advantage. She urged people to use this to their benefit, speaking positively about their hopes, dreams and goals.

“That’s how our minds work. So when people say, you know, it’s so hard to make that change in your life, it’s not as hard as we think. To stick to it is hard. But to flip that switch is really the power of suggestion. When you get up in the morning, you say, today’s the day I’m going to start now.”

The next tip that McGraham-Shirley says can help is curbing procrastination.

“That’s another thing that sets people up for failure; they keep waiting for the perfect time. There will never be a perfect time because you’ll always find reasons to derail you. The perfect time is now,” she urged.

McGraham-Shirley cautioned against waiting for perfection — the perfect gym clothes, the new sneakers or even Monday morning.

“I tell people start on a Wednesday. It’s such an odd day to start…Instead of waiting for the perfect time.”

McGraham-Shirley also shared what she described as the three keys to success— the art of showing up, consistency and moderation.

The fitness instructor indicated that taking personal responsibility and investing time and effort into goals by showing up is one way to successfully complete your goals, including resolutions set for the new year.

“The question you have to ask is who you’re showing up for. That is the biggest factor. The answer has to be you. If you keep showing up for other people, you’re going to set yourself up for failure. That cannot be the carrot in front of you, because that will always move,” she explained.

Getting started is difficult, but to keep going is another thing, McGraham-Shirley said.

“Sticking to something is where success starts. It doesn’t have to be big. It doesn’t have to be bold. But you have to keep showing up to it. If you go to the gym and spend five hours in the gym, and you never go back until the following month, versus [if] you show up at the gym three days a week for 20 minutes each time, which would you actually see results with? ” McGraham-Shirley questioned.

In opposition to the grandiose nature of some New Year’s resolutions, McGraham-Shirley is also encouraging people to be measured in their approach to goal setting.

“I find people are too craven, craven with everything,” she said, using the Jamaican colloquialism for greed.

“So the most obvious thing is you’re craven with what you’re eating.  So you’re filling your plate and you’re being gluttonous, taking over. But even the tasks that you’re taking on, you’re being too craven and too overzealous.”

Instead, the instructor urged a measured approach taken in steady, consistent steps but also warned against fearing failure.

“A lot of people lose that teachable moment that there’s actually enjoyment in failure. It’s where you can actually rise to a challenge and see what you’re truly are made of.  From a fitness perspective…A burpee is you falling down. And what happens every time you drop down in a burpee and you get up?  You get stronger,” she said.

“I equate a burpee to failure. People need to stop fearing failure and freezing with fear of failure. And use failure as a teachable tool,” McGraham-Shirley said.

influencer, motivational speaker and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Yahsuh Fitbox, Shani McGraham Shirley