For a lot of people, New Years Resolutions mean frustration, guilt and a cycle that they are very familiar with.
Statistics reveal that 40 to 45% of adults make one or more resolutions or goals for themselves, and only 75% of them make it past the first week and 46% make it past 6 months!
Making a New Years resolution is always a good step because you’re 10 times more likely to attain your goal than people who don’t explicitly make goals
Do New Year’s Resolutions really work? Absolutely, anything can work if you resolve to do it and you stick to your commitment. The trouble is that if a part of you doesn’t want to give something up or start something, then you won’t.
How any resolutions have you made? How many have you broken?
For some people it can feel like there’s just too much pressure to ‘succeed’. If you’ve already broken one resolution, your mind may well have decided that breaking resolutions is what you’re always going to do, so any attempt to resolve to do anything will be met with a, “you won’t be able to do it”, “remember what happened last time!!”
How quick we are to think about what we can’t do! If I asked you to tell me what you like about yourself I expect you’d find it challenging, but if I asked you to tell me what you don’t like, I’m sure you could reel off a long list of things you think are wrong with you.
When we judge ourselves in terms of ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, ‘good’ or ‘bad’, ‘success’ or ‘failure’ we really limit our possibilities for growth. It’s fine not to master something first time around. Imagine telling a child in the process of learning to walk that they failed at the first step, it’s madness. Practice does ‘make perfect’. The problem is that most of us don’t want to practice, it’s too ‘embarrassing’, “What will people think if I can’t do it?” Let yourself off the hook for all those times when you didn’t do something first time, and congratulate yourself on being human. Learning what works and what doesn’t, can be an enjoyable experience if you allow it to be.
The next time you make a resolution, forgive yourself if you break it and then recommit. The moment you stop punishing yourself for ‘failing’ or ‘giving up’, life looks different. Just take responsibility for your actions, simply lighten up and say, “okay so I ate too much. I choose now, to do things differently’’. No need for any fuss, or drama.
What do you really want this year? If you could have anything, what would it be? Whatever you want, I invite you to choose to have more fun than you’ve ever had before, creating it. After all, it’s not the goal itself that’s important, but the journey to it!
So, what is it you really want this year? Do leave a comment.
Speak soon ….