Five Steps to Resolutions That Will Last
Is January a good time for change? I know a lot of people who make New Year’s resolutions, and it always makes me wonder if January is the best time for making those resolutions? This may prompt the question “well if January is not a good time then when is a good time?“ The answer lies with you.
When we make changes in our lives that have a lasting effect they are typically based on circumstances that we are no longer willing to tolerate. This can occur at any point in your life.
For example, I have a client that has had adverse health effects from weight gain. He had been tolerating his lifestyle and basically eating whatever he wanted and not exercising until he went to the doctor for a check-up. When the doctor went over his blood work with him he was shocked and scared to find out that he was prediabetic (blood sugar level is higher than normal but not high enough to be considered diabetes). Once he realized that this could be a threat to his health, he began to think about his daughter and he realized that he had to make changes if he was going to be there to walk her down the aisle when she got married. This was the moment when he decided to reach out to me for help with coming up with a plan.
When it comes to following a process for creating desirable results, here are the five steps to life-changing resolutions that will last:
1. Be mindful of your patterns. What does your typical day look like? Are there things that you do that have become a pattern that you cannot stop because they are part of your daily routine? What are they and what is the outcome of that disliked behavior? For example, do you find yourself eating sugar during the day in the form of a candy bar or a soda to momentarily increase your energy level? You get a spike in energy from the sugar, but that it leads to weight gain because of the increased caloric intake.
2. Change your philosophy. We all have, whether stated, written or not, that guides us as we approach the various aspects of our lives. What are some of the philosophies that you have? For example, what is your philosophy around money and the acquisition of it? If you were to share it with me would I be able to cite examples of people who contradict that philosophy? I have a friend that says that “you have to have money to make money.” My response to that is “well then how do people go from rags to riches?” To me, his philosophy has truth to it, but it is incomplete because there may be other answers or more to it. Consider the philosophies you may have in place that could be incomplete, out of date or not aligned to your existing life goals or situations.
3. Consider the consequences. As I mentioned above, what are some of the consequences of continuing down the path that your patterns and philosophies have created for you? A great way to increase your awareness of consequences is to look at the past five years and ask yourself “what would I tell myself if had a chance to go back in time five years and give myself some advice?“
4. Identify what you will not tolerate anymore. Everyone has a different threshold for what they will tolerate. You may be someone who is tough or stubborn or have just gotten into a pattern that you aren’t even aware of. Many of these patterns have to do with our background both personally and professionally. For example, if you were raised with negative messages then you may have a negative self-image that may lead you to perform poorly at work and have difficulty with relationships. Once you reach a level of understanding of what these patterns are then you can decide to not allow yourself to follow them anymore.
5. Make a plan for your desirable outcomes. When you have completed your self-assessment, you will have identified the things that you want to change. The next step is to come up with a plan for creating the desirable outcomes that you seek in your life. If you are having emotional issues then the best course of action would be to talk to a counselor/therapist. If you have some goals in mind and want to be held accountable, then reaching out to a coach will be the best solution for you.
Resolutions are great, especially this time of year. I hope that each and every one of you can create lasting change your life by looking fundamentally at what you can do to break old patterns and overcome obstacles that are holding you back from accomplishing what you want to do. As you progress through 2018, please remember that you can change any aspect of your life. You are 100% in control and able to create the desirable results that you seek in your life. Remember to be your best self!