Instead of making new year resolutions, you might want to commit to making lifestyle changes.
Each year as we ring in a new year, we get a burst of inspiration and desire to make the upcoming calendar year worth our wild. We use it as an opportunity to undo the pitfalls of previous years. And why shouldn’t we? A new year gives us hope.
But let’s consider some other approaches for reaching the goals we’ve set for ourselves. Whether we were able to accomplish them in previous years or not, using a new year as a catalyst for change isn’t enough.
Consider these five things:
1. You change your mind, you change your life
To really make and commit to changes, you’ve got to change your mindset. It’s not about reaching the goals you’ve set for the year but making lifestyle changes to reach, maintain, and continue to be successful for years to come.
Before you can successfully take on and complete any tasks, you have to first mentally prepare for that thing. Mental health and well-being is the first and most important step in preparing to change your life.
Whatever it is that helps you get self-motivated and mentally stimulated, I’d start by doing it and making it apart of your daily routine to inspire you to take action.
2. Commit to creating and sticking to a schedule
As the saying goes, “if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” This is an opportunity to not just write down your goals but the first step in prioritizing and figuring out the steps you must take in meeting those goals.
Write it down. Prioritize what tasks you’d like to tackle first. Put together an execution strategy and timeline around how much you’re going to commit to each and for how long.
3. Make small changes over time
Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to do it all at one time. Prioritize your goals. Make a list of goals you’ve set for yourself.
Rome wasn’t built in a day and so it is unlikely you will lose 50 pounds in two weeks (if that is YOUR goal). But it is quite possible to lose 50 pounds in 6 months.
Set small goals over time that will help you reach your bigger goal. Break up your goals in increments and check them off the list as you go.
4. Create a process that encourages consistency and discipline
What works for you may not work for someone else and that’s okay.
Maybe you’re not a morning person. You may instead be a night owl. Perhaps you learn and acquire new skills through visual aide and not text. It is important to know yourself and what works for you.
Implementing someone else’s preferences will disrupt your natural way of thinking, processing information and taking action. You’re likely to quit what doesn’t feel natural to you.
5. Refresh and renew
Analyze where you are, whether it’s working or not, then rinse and repeat.
You may find that the process you’ve created for yourself isn’t working the way you thought it would. This is an opportunity to analyze how far you’ve come in meeting your goals, what was successful, what wasn’t and creating next steps.
It’s okay for you to restructure and regroup or simply move on to the next goal on your list once you’ve reached it.
What are some other suggestions for replacing new year resolutions with lifestyle changes? How have you prepared yourselves?
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