Resolution Revolution

2019 is about to come to a close as we usher in not only a new year, but a whole new decade. The pressure is on to quickly evolve into the ultimate human as we find ourselves seduced by the “New Year, New Me” movement. All of those promises that we broke to ourselves in the past now have a chance for redemption. We re-commit ourselves to losing weight, quitting smoking, starting that business and finally stumbling on that vague elusive beast known as success. We tell ourselves that this time things will be different. This is our year. Despite the fact we haven’t done it before, this time, we swear, we will stick to our resolutions.

Once again we’ve been fooled by our own short lived enthusiasm for change. Enticed by the promise of a clean slate, we develop delusions of transforming into a whole different being practically overnight. However, what behavioral science has repeatedly proven is that significant personal change is less of a spontaneous decision and more of a continuous journey. Traditional resolutions fail because we are unrealistic about the reasons why we aren’t achieving our goals in the first place. Instead of deciding to lose weight, we should work towards learning the real reasons we’ve gained. Instead of promising to finally start that business, we should be honest as to why we haven’t done it in the past. Instead of hoping we will find success in 2020, we should define our personal meaning of success.

It’s time for a Resolution Revolution. This revolution requires us to do the scary business of looking at ourselves with an honest and critical eye in order to identify the things that we do to hold ourselves back. Maybe you’re an emotional eater and what you really need to do is focus on developing healthier coping mechanisms. Therein lies the secret to your weight loss success. Maybe a deep fear of failure is what has held you back from taking that business risk. Now you have identified the actual issue that needs to be dealt with in order to achieve your dreams. These is are not issues one resolves in one night. It’s a journey. And it may be a long and arduous one but victory is more likely this way. The alternative is to remain unaware of the true subconscious reasons you hold yourself back and buy into the New Year hype, only to disappoint yourself by February.

Ever been to the gym the first week in January? It’s packed! The room is filled with resolution hopefuls seeking to finally achieve their fitness goals. By the end of January, it’s back to normal. Those who have not invoked the Revolution have fallen victim to the same annual cycle most of us have been through. If you truly want to see a significant change in your life in 2020 it’s simple. However, simple doesn’t mean easy but your goals are achievable. Closely follow these rules of the Resolution Revolution and let’s see if we can make your gym sessions a life-long habit:

1) Identify your goals: Write them down and be clear and specific. Make sure your goals are reasonable, time sensitive and don’t forget to celebrate each milestone.

2) Find Your Why: It’s one thing to want to achieve something, it’s quite another reason to know why. This is a great way to really understand yourself and your motivations and goal setters that have a why are more likely to stay committed to their success.

3) Commit: Motivation is a myth and commitment is everything. Write a contract between you and yourself to honor your commitment. Commit to working on your goal when it’s easy, commit when it’s hard.

4) Forgive Setbacks: We are humans, not machines. As such we are not infallible and we will have off days and unforeseen circumstances which can make giving up really easy. Don’t. Remember that you made a commitment to yourself so forgive any roadblocks that temporarily stand in your way.