2018 – the best bits and how to make next year your best ever
There is no doubt 2018 has been an incredible year for British equestrian sport.
2018 highlights
There were medals galore at the World Equestrian Games. In eventing, Ros Canter was crowned World Champion, while Team GB also won gold. British Dressage was back in the medals once again, winning team and individual gold and it was great to see Charlotte Dujardin back on top form with the super talented Mount St John Freestyle.
In showjumping 2018 surely goes to Ben Maher who has been on unstoppable form in the Global Champions Tour, thanks to an incredible horse called Explosion. The pair won the final in Dubai, where Ben was also crowned Champion of Champions. We also loved watching William Funnell win the Hickstead Derby for an incredible fourth time, with Billy Buckingham.
It’s not just the Brits that have captured our hearts this year. New Zealand’s Jonelle and Tim Price have had an incredible year. The most successful – and the nicest – couple in eventing, they have won three four-star events between them. Jonelle won Badminton (just 10 months after having her first baby) and went on to win Luhmuhlen, while Tim won Burghley.
Look back to move forward
The end of the year provides a great opportunity for us all to look back and reflect on our best moments – and think about what we could have done better. It’s only by understanding what works, and what doesn’t that we can learn, improve, and ensure success from one year to the next.
Here are five things you can do to help review 2018 and plan a prosperous 2019.
1. Give yourself a high five
Before you move on to the next year, it’s important to look at what you’ve achieved. It’s exhausting to always be thinking: ‘what next’. So take a moment to celebrate, even the small things, and give yourself a pat on the back. Write down what you’ve enjoyed most about 2018, what you’re most proud of and what you are grateful for – right here, right now.
2. Think about what you could do better
Once you’ve given yourself a high five, now comes the tough bit. If you want to move forward, you need to be honest about where you weren’t successful. Maybe it was a goal that you didn’t give your full time or attention too, or it could be something you said you were going to do, but didn’t follow through on.
3. Break one bad habit
The new year is a great opportunity to start afresh and break some bad habits. But it’s never that easy, which is why research by the Statistic Brain Research Institute found that only 9.2% of people stick to their new year’s resolutions. One of the main reasons we fail is we write a long list of resolutions we can’t possibly achieve at the same time. We fail, we feel disillusioned and we give up. Sound familiar? The key to success is to change just one thing that creates the most change. Think long and hard about what this could be and then write it down and put it somewhere you will see every day. It still won’t be easy. According to research from University College London, it takes around 66 days to completely break a habit. So stick with it!
4. Set new goals
There is an important difference between goals and resolutions. A resolution is a resolve to do something – or stop doing something – while a goal is the calculated steps you need to take to achieve that resolution. The best kind of goals are SMART:
Specific: the goal should have a specific purpose and focus.
Measurable: the goal should be able to be measured to monitor its progress.
Achievable: the goal should be challenging, but achievable.
Relevant: your goals need to be important to you and your business, and not something you are doing for other people.
Time bound: make sure each goal has a specific time frame for completion.
If you need help planning for a successful 2019 and setting achievable goals get in touch to find out how we can help. Image credit: BEF 2018
