As we start the New Year, everybody and their brother seems to be making New Year’s Resolutions. You hear about how one person is gonna lose 20 pounds, another is gonna stop smoking, someone else swears they’re gonna start that new business they’ve been talking about…
Any of this ring a bell with you? I’ll bet my best horse that it does. (And that’s quite a bet for me.) Maybe you’ve made the same resolutions every year?
Kickstart Your Health-Journey The Right Way! Here’s How >>
Resolutions aren’t real…
Thing is, do you ever wonder what happened to last year’s resolutions? How did they turn out? Did you stick to the resolution? Have you lost those extra pounds? Stopped smoking? Started that new business? If you did, then great for you!
But chances are, that those resolutions were nothing more than empty wishes gift-wrapped in good intentions. Don’t get the wrong idea; I’m not out to burst anyone’s bubble here. But I happen to know a little bit about human nature and I know that most New Year’s Resolutions never come about. There’s one simple reason for that, too: New Year’s Resolutions aren’t real!
Life changes are what you need
I’m not saying that the desire to improve yourself isn’t real. It’s just that the approach isn’t ideal. Sure, some folks keep their resolutions; but most folks don’t succeed because they don’t approach it the right way.
A resolution to improve yourself isn’t about announcing it to the world; it’s about an internal decision. It’s a deep promise and commitment you make to yourself (and to your family or whomever else is impacted by it) to change the way you live.
Unlock the SECRET to Your Best Health Ever >>
Think about that for a moment. If you’re trying to quit smoking, lose weight, get to the gym more often or whatever, it literally takes changing your daily habits, doesn’t it? That means changing your mind set about what you do the moment you wake up in the morning. Changing your life means changing your thinking, controlling your appetites and denying yourself the comfort of your old habits. That takes will power.
Set realistic goals
Here’s the thing about will power and staying the course in a new direction: you have to see progress. Making progress puts the mental game in your favor. The best way to put the game in your favor is to set realistic goals that are easily achievable.
If your goal is to get to the gym three times a week and you only got there twice, don’t fret about it. That’s two times than you went before. Plus, you can always take a walk to make up for it. Don’t count missing a workout as a failure; count the times you went as a success.
Same situation with quitting smoking. Did you have more cigarettes than you planned? That’s alright as long as you had less than you had the day before. Always look at the positive side of things.
Achieve that Powerful 8-hour Rested Sleep — EVERYDAY! Find out how >>
Does making a goal easy sound like cheating? Well, trust me; it ain’t! The best way to making successful life changes is to get some level of success under your belt. The best way to fail is to set goals that you aren’t likely to meet right out the chute. The way to change yourself is by one day at a time, one victory, no matter how small, at a time.
Set time limits for changing
Once you’ve got a couple of small victories in hand, set the bar a little higher for the next week. Again, don’t make the mistake of biting off more than you can chew. At the same time, you need to give yourself a time period for each goal. If your life change is to lose 20 pounds, give yourself a reasonable amount of time to achieve it. No too long, but not too short, either. The reason is say this is because without a deadline to achieve your goal, it’s not a goal, is it?
The hard truth is that for folks who say, “Someday, I’ll stop smoking” or whatever the goal might be, someday never arrives. Without a deadline, goals aren’t goals; they’re just wishes that you speak out loud.
So here’s the bottom line when it comes to New Year’s Resolutions: decide what you want to change about your life, then get busy about making those changes one day at a time, one victory at a time and make 2024 your year!
