Happy New Year! We’re a week into 2016. Can you believe it? It’s still sinking in with me. Whether you officially declare a new year resolution or not, perhaps you have thought about some things you’d like to attempt in the new year. I feel like I’ve heard all sorts of ideas being tossed around this year:
- Eat healthier, lose weight
- Exercise more, watch TV less
- Get organized and declutter the house
- Be more social
My personal favorite: Be a nicer person. I guess we could all probably work on improving in some ways, right? But how do you make this resolution a reality? And how do you stick with it for the long term? Most people making resolutions are intending for it to be a long term change. Yet the most common resolutions are made year after year after year…
Whatever it is that you’ve decided to attempt, are you serious about it? Are you sure? I ask because we all have wonderful intentions this time of year. But by February we’re often moving back toward old habits and then we’ll putter along for a few months saying we’re still trying out the new year resolution. Maybe when cabin fever sets in we get outside and get moving some more. But then by July it’s out the window again. By Thanksgiving we resign to just trying harder next year. Enough already! If it’s worth even thinking about a goal, isn’t it worth working toward it too?
I’m a really big fan of writing down goals. So many claim there’s something magical about writing down goals. With a pen and paper (far away from a backspace or delete button). I have definitely experienced this. There’s also something really important about saying it out loud. So, the first step is done. You have a new goal and you’ve written it down.
But have you told anyone else about it? How can you expect to change your eating or exercise habits for the long term if you don’t even tell your family what you’re doing? How can they help you if they don’t even know how to help? If you’re trying to stay away from junk food, wouldn’t it be a lot easier if everyone stopped bringing junk into the house in the first place? If we’re talking about a long term goal, maybe a good first step is making sure your environment at home is conducive to your success. That’s a huge first step but a rather easy one to accomplish. And it shows you’re serious – to yourself and to your housemates.
So besides the people you live with, who else should you tell about your goals? I’ve talked a lot about my success on the Ultimate Weight Loss Program and I’ll remind you that much of my success is thanks to the powerful relationship with my accountability partner. Sharing your goal, your plan, and updating your progress with someone on a regular basis can make all the difference in finding your way to success, whatever your goal.
Find someone who will be honest with you when you need honesty. Look for someone who will raise a red flag if you’re heading toward old habits. Look beyond your close friends. Sometimes they care about your feelings too much to tell you what you really need to hear. In Chef AJ and John Pierre’s program some of the best advice I’ve heard is from people I’ve never met. But because we share common struggles, we can relate to common solutions.
So to take an idea from resolution to reality….. Zero in on your desires, outline some short and long term goals that will get you moving in that direction. Write them down. Tell some key people about your intentions and what they can do to help you. And then get started, any simple way you can!
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