How to Experience More Winning in 2024 (cause who doesn't like to win?)

🎉 Happy 2024, Everyone! 🎉

Welcome to a sparkling new episode of The 2% Solution Podcast! Your host, Dai Manuel, is here to sprinkle some Monday motivation magic on your New Year. 🚀

In this episode, we're not just talking about change but diving deep into the nitty-gritty of making it stick.

Think of 2024 as your blank canvas, and guess what?

You're the artist! 🎨

I'm dishing out 5 dynamite strategies to make 2024 your year of epic wins and unwavering resilience. 

1. We're talking goal-setting (spoiler alert: it's more than just wishful thinking!), 
2. embracing a growth mindset (because ‘can’t’ was so last year), 
3. building a community that cheers you on (no man is an island, after all), 
4. prioritizing wellbeing (your body will thank you), and 
5. practicing gratitude (because good vibes attract great times).

So, grab your favorite beverage, settle in, and let’s make 2024 phenomenally yours! 🌟

Transcript

Dai Manuel: 0:04

Welcome back to the 2% Solution Podcast and a Happy New Year to everyone. It's 2024. Can you believe it I'm Dai Manuel, coach, mentor and fellow journeyman in this pursuit of better. With nearly three decades of coaching under my belt, I'm here to guide you into what I believe can be your best year yet. Today it's all about Monday motivation for the new year, focusing on the mindset and the science of change. Remember, 2024 is a blank canvas and it's hours to paint with the colors of choices, chins and our attitudes. So let's dive right in. I'm going to share five strategies today to make the most of 2024 and how to stay resilient even when the going gets tough. We're all about turning those small 2% shifts into massive impacts. So you ready, let's get into it.

Dai Manuel: 0:55

So, first up, setting clear, achievable goals. According to a study in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, people who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than those who don't explicitly make resolutions. Break down your big goals into smaller, manageable tasks and set a timeline. Remember, a goal without a plan is just a wish. For example, if your goal is to run a marathon, start by running short distances and gradually increasing your mileage each week there's a really inspiring story of a Canadian who is the founder of the running rooms, a chain of well running stores all across Canada, and the story goes that when he decided to get healthy because he didn't decide to later in life he realized that just getting out for a run could be a great solution for him. And so, as the story goes, he started running every day. But not knowing how far the distance was, he started to look at the light standard. So you know, when you're running along the street, you've got these big massive posts with lights on it, the street lights and what he would do is he run between one street light to the next and then walk maybe another two and then run one and then walk a couple. But he used these markers as ways to give himself that visual finish line, if you will, and start line. And then he did it in little intervals. And this is really smart, because this is a great way to condition ourselves and reintroduce fitness into our lives, but also how to build up volume over time without having to put the body under a ton of stress. More on this strategy I've got some great articles on my website, just diamondwellcom, if you're interested, but I'll be sure to also put in the show notes today some additional resources to help with this goal setting strategy, because it's pretty important If sets the tone, sets the vision as well, gives you some actionable step by step processes that you can plug into, take action on and start to realize some of those goals.

Dai Manuel: 2:57

No-transcript. Well, embracing the growth mindset Stand for. Psychologist Carol Dweck's research shows that people who believe their abilities can be developed are more likely to flourish. So in 2024, let's be learners, not just knowers. Every setback is set up for a comeback. Try learning a new skill, like a foreign language or a musical instrument, and observe your progress over time. One thing about this fixed versus growth mindset and I will do a future episode to really dive into some of this work by Carol Dweck because I find it fascinating, especially for those that are into neuroscience and habit formation and really understanding more of the mechanics of how our brain creates habits, belief systems, etc.

Dai Manuel: 3:45

This idea of a growth versus fixed mindset. One simple way that I would encourage you this year to start acknowledging or reframing your perspective in a more positive way in growth mindset versus fixed mindset, would be when you catch yourself saying I can't, all I want you to do is rephrase it with one additional word at the end. That one word is yet. So if you say I can't snowboard, I can't snowboard yet. It's amazing, that simple little word right. Or I can't get to the gym five days a week, yet there's really creative ways of starting to reintroduce this idea of yet, because that says to us that maybe the person I am right now, with the skill sets that I have, doesn't have the ability to do that. No, but it does acknowledge that we have an ability to learn and to grow as individuals. And if we take those intentional actions like we talk about all the time here on the 2% level, you'll start to see progress as well as shifts in changes that you wanted to see happen. Start to happen. What a great confidence builder, right? So with this growth mindset piece, that's the one thing I encourage you to be mindful of. Whenever you catch yourself saying I can't do something or going default to this sort of belief, just add the little word yet on the end of it and see what happens Now.

Dai Manuel: 5:15

Number three surround yourself with a supportive community. The American Society of Training and Development found that you have a 65% chance of completing a goal if you commit it to someone. That's like accountability 101. Literally, find your tribe this year there, your cheerleaders and accountability partners Whereas I like to say account buddies join a local club, maybe an online group that aligns with your interests or goals, and actively participate in its activities. A quick note you've heard about me mentioning the 2% collective. It's going live in 2024 and I'm aiming to get it live and open for everybody this month. You know, january 2024. You heard it here January 1, it's coming, so get ready.

Dai Manuel: 6:00

Also, as we move on to strategy four, you've got to prioritize your well-being, because if you don't prioritize it, who will? The CDC states that regular physical activity can reduce the risk of chronic diseases, so let's make movement a non-negotiable this year. Schedule short exercise sessions into your daily routine. Even the 15-minute walk during lunchtime can make a huge difference in your overall health. When you compound that out over a year, 15 minutes, that's only 1% of your 24 hours. You know, do that twice and there you go. You got that 2% solution dialed in and intentional around seeing this improvement in your well-being.

Dai Manuel: 6:41

But keep in mind we often tend to give our attention and energy to the things. That takes our attention and energy. So all I'm trying to say is where that attention goes, your energy will flow. So if you're focusing on all the things that isn't prioritizing your well-being, well, recognize, yeah, of course your energy is going to go to those things and you're probably going to notice that your progress isn't happening. Set the intentions, start to do little bits at a time and watch out, because that's as simple as it gets and you will see results, progress over perfection. A centimeter is a centimeter, an inch is an inch right, and if you have, at the end of the day, made a little bit of progress forward, that's a win in my books and hopefully it's a win in yours too.

Dai Manuel: 7:31

Now strategy five. This one is critical, but it's also one of the easiest ones to do when we create a habit around it, and that is practicing gratitude and reflection. And it's not a once in a while thing. It's something that you want to try to do regularly, because the more regular you are with it, the more impactful it will be on your life, especially your mental health, because writing gratitude letters can significantly improve mental health. Every night, jot down three things you're grateful for. That's a powerful way to shift your focus from what's missing to what's present in your life. You can start a gratitude journal or simply reflect on your day and acknowledge the positive moments.

Dai Manuel: 8:14

As we venture into 2024, remember the path to success is not always a straight. There's going to be hurdles, but it's our resilience in the face of these obstacles that defines our journey. When you hit a roadblock, take a step back, reassess and then keep moving forward, because you've got this. And before we wrap up, I want to leave you with a thought this year is yours. It's a gift and what you do with it is entirely in your hands. Make choices that align with your goals, believe in your ability to grow, find strength in your community, prioritize your well-being and always count your blessings. Thank you for tuning in to the 2% Solution Podcast. If you found value in today's episode, please share it with someone who needs to hear this. Don't forget to subscribe to rate and review. Visit the link in our show notes to dive deeper into these strategies. And until next time, keep pushing, keep striving and remember we're in this. Together. Let's make 2024, but nominal.