Does your resolution or vision board for 2022 already feel like a heavy burden? So many of us are struggling with just getting through our days right now with the collective trauma we are experiencing in the world. How do you find the energy and determination to not only do the required tasks of daily living but make good on your promise to yourself to lose weight, exercise more, go to bed earlier, meditate, journal, or eat healthier?
This is the time of year when we begin to lose the promise and excitement energy that the new year can bring. On January 1, all it took was waking up and having a new number on the calendar to get excited about all of the possibilities 2022 holds. Did you dream about enjoying more vacation time? Now a month has gone by and you haven’t planned a thing? Did you promise yourself to go to the gym 4 times each week and now you’re down to one and it feels too burdensome? Did you meditate daily for a week and then give up?
YOU AREN’T ALONE!
In fact, there is even a “National Quitters Day” because it is so common to break the promises of the new year around this time. But it’s not too late to celebrate success! The year is not over, and neither is your desire to improve your health and well-being. There is always time and it is always possible to make those positive changes you’ve been thinking about for so long. You just have to go about it in a way that sets you up for success, not failure.
BREAK UP (with) YOUR RESOLUTION!
Look at that word: resolution. Re…. solution. If you break it apart, you give yourself another chance to Re Solve your change challenges. Instead of thinking of yourself or your plan as a failure, just think of it as a yet-to-be-solved puzzle. You know in your heart you want to lose weight, read more, eat better, rest more. You can avoid disappointment, if the first “solution” didn’t work, there are many other ways you can approach this puzzle and find your solution.
DON’T GIVE UP!
Change doesn’t have to be associated with a date on the calendar. Improving your health and well-being is easiest when you feel truly ready to make the change, and you have a doable plan. You probably know most diets end in failure. During my Wellness Coaching training at the Mayo Clinic, I learned that the reason for failure is usually the process. Drastic, all or nothing changes in diet or lifestyle are rarely successful long term. I have been coaching for almost a decade now, and I have seen amazing progress and success made over time with small steps. When you make small successful changes, your momentum will build upon the success and you can reach your goals without failure!
TIPS FOR SUCCESS:
1 – Make it fun! Yes even running or going to the gym can be fun. But if you hate both of those options for more cardio, find something that brings you joy. Maybe you love to swim or you can dance to your favorite music or join a Zumba class (I laughed so hard when I did my first Zumba class it was hysterical).
2 – Make it doable. If you’ve been couch surfing for two years, don’t get up and try an hour long class, you’ll feel winded and maybe even ill. Start with five minutes of cardio, dancing to your favorite song, or walking quickly to the end of the block. Tomorrow dance or run or jump for six minutes, and so on.
3 – Set aside time. You make appointments right? When you meet a friend for coffee, go to your house of worship, or have a work meeting? You make those, so why not add your cardio or healthy eating to your calendar?
4 – Gravitate toward your successes. You know yourself better than anyone. What has worked for you in the past? Sit quietly and give the process some deep thought, journal it out, or talk it through with a friend or a coach. Success is there for you, you can reach your goals, you only need to make the process doable.
5 – When it doesn’t work, try something else! It takes some investigating, re- solving and digging in to find what will work, just keep trying. Take all the pieces of the puzzle apart and look closely, there is a way the pieces will come together and allow you to stand back and celebrate your successful vision.
If you need help, I’m here. We will look at what’s not working and dig deep to find where the resistance is coming from, and get you moving toward your goal! I offer free consultations and will be happy to work with you to find a way to make big changes in small doable steps.
You’ve got this!