Resolutions: Yay or Nay?
It’s that time again. The end of one amazing year and the start of another, full of endless possibilities.
Resolutions, we have all set them before, but how many times have we fell flat on our faces when it came to the follow through? The first few days, weeks, or months are great. Then we either forget about our resolution, or, we just say “Meh...eff it. It wasn’t that important anyways”. Resolutions are like dating. The honeymoon stage is easy peasy, but when we actually have to grind, that’s when all bets are off.
Resolutions usually come from a place of negativity, and only focus on an end destination, without paying any attention to the journey of it all. Where is the fun in that? Know what the most frustrating part is? Generally, we don’t necessarily have full control over the outcome. It’s our behaviours during the journey that we have total control over. If you are a big fan of resolutions, I challenge you to create a resolution based on the behaviours that will get you to your goal versus just the goal itself. Let me show you an example.
Old School resolution: I want to lose 20 pounds by May (P.S. This is not my resolutions, it is simply an example)
New School Resolution: I will commit to being active 2x a week
This shows how the "old school" is the outcome, while the "new school" is a behaviour. Now we all know my motto is; 1% Better Everyday. We are going to use that to ‘level-up’ our resolution. I am going to start small with my behaviour, because I want to set myself up for success. No one likes to lose, so why set yourself up to fail? Pick one small behaviour that will get the ball rolling (being active 2x a week). Once I am able to consistently accomplish my goal over a period of time, say a month, I then add a new goal. Once I am able to exercise 2x/week for a month, my goal for the next month is obviously to continue that. But, now I am also going to go to a weekly spin class. Now, I work on both of those things and then 'level-up' my goals once these are habit. We just keep stacking behaviours once they become habits that last. Lets say I am 4 months in, and I am not able to hammer down a specific behaviour, stick with it and don't move on till you can master it. Regardless of how long it takes. If after a solid try it still seems impossible, switch it out for a new behaviour that aids in your final goal.
We are conditioned to believe resolutions should happen once a year. It's a bit whimsical to believe that thinking about something one time is going to make it happen. Did you notice that with my up-level new school resolution formula I snuck in the fact that you are going to revisit it monthly? By doing this our end destination and journey aren’t a one off thought.
If you are not a fan of resolutions, and want to join me in doing something different, keep reading. I am a HUGE fan of Mantras. To me, a mantra is a word/saying that I can repeat to myself daily. Or even multiple times per day, as a reminder of what I am wanting in my life at that time. It’s a verbal type of anchoring my MOFA (motivating factor... We deal with this a lot in the 90 day coaching program) into my day.
Let’s get personal. I am going to share with you my 2018 Mantra. I am very excited about this!
See & Be Seen will be my mantra for the next year. To me, this is super powerful because I was able to connect this to all of the Big 5 areas of life: health, wealth, career, love, and connection to something greater. It was important to me to connect my Mantra to all of the Big 5 because of my philosophy; how you do one thing is how you do all things
What does this mantra mean to me?
See = I want to experience more this year. I want to travel more, I want to open myself up to more possibilities/opportunities in my local geographical and theoretical communities. I want to see more of the people who mean the world to me this year.
Be Seen = I want to fully embrace my personal power and not hide in my bubble. It’s time for the phoenix to rise from the ashes and set the world a blaze. When I am seeing more of the world, and my community. I don’t just want to be an observer; I want to be more of an active participant.
There you have it. My 2 cents on the ritual of resolution making.
Cheers to an epic 2018
- SJ
