Make Shifts Happen with your New Years Resolution this Year!
How many times have you set a New Years resolution and it went SO well for a month and then... gone? For whatever reason -- not enough time, too many responsibilities, too big a goal, or your dog ate your commitment, New Year's resolutions generally don't hold strong, with only a mere 8% success rate. That means 92%, yes 92%, of resolutions fall short. The culprit? Well, there could be many reasons (we all have great "reasons" and excuses of why stuff doesn't happen) and resolutions are generally just too BIG.
A client came to me last year with the same resolution he had been trying to reach for over five years, to get healthy. My initial thought was what is getting healthy? It could mean so many different things. I asked him what being healthy would look like for him, how would it feel, and what might get him to that place of health. After a deep conversation we found that what he actually wanted and could really commit to was working out three days per week and to stop drinking soda, and I would hold him accountable to it daily. Within three months of the simple commitment he actually lost 15 pounds, felt better in his body, had more energy, and finally got a date with the lady he had been admiring. It took simplifying his resolution into attainable commitments that lined it up for him.
So, how can you take your idea and turn it into real action? Here are a few easy ways to make your resolution a reality:
Make it Do-able & Clear
Lofty ideas without much guidance wont get you anywhere. Making a resolution to lose weight is just a big idea but how do you actually lose the weight? What do you have to change? Make it concrete, a resolution to not eat potato chips and cookies or walk/exercise three days per week for thirty minutes. Give yourself clear guidelines on how to make the dream a reality.
Small shifts = Big Change
My dear inspirer, teacher, and friend Coby Kozlowski teaches that small shifts lead to big changes. So start small and keep it simple. Commit to one dessert per day, yoga three days a week, a morning five-minute mindfulness practice, or doing something creative at least 10 minutes a day... make it simple, something you can really commit to, it will shift so much more in your life than you can imagine.
Schedule it & Make the Time for it
Yes, we are all busy, most of us have schedules that are loaded, so make the effort to actually write it in your calendar and add it to your daily routine. Again, make it attainable to the point that you can actually hold yourself to it. Set reminders in your phone if you should stretch every hour, or to not eat ice cream, or whatever it might be.
Tell Someone
Hold yourself accountable by enlisting family, friends, or colleagues in your journey. Write a blog about the experience, share it on facebook, make it public, or at least share with someone and request their help in holding you to it. Accountability is your friend.
If you want to uncover a resolution you can actually achieve that fills you up,email me. Let's make it happen!
