We’re in the second week of the year…and I’m still thinking about those pesky resolutions (This post may contain affiliate links).
How are yours going, by the way?
Did you know that the average person keeps his or her resolutions only until January 21st? Only 3 weeks out of 52!!?!!?
Why is it that the majority of people don’t make it past the first 6% of the year?
Resolution at its basic level means to firmly determine something in your mind. I think one of the main problems with “resolutions” is that we’re usually not very resolved. We’re not committed 100%.
Two things: Our resolutions tend to become something that we “try” to do and something that we merely “hope” for.
Master Yoda said, “Do or do not. There is no try.” Let’s be real here: you either do something or you don’t. If you just “try” to do something you’re NOT making the commitment to do it. If you do commit to actually DO something, then you will do it until you’re successful regardless of the times you might fail.
Hope. Too often, our resolutions are just hopes, like “I hope I can lose 20 pounds this year.”
Something I read recently: We have more control over what we DO rather than what we GET. Therefore, habit-based goals lead to far greater success.
So, instead of resolving to lose 20 pounds this year, a habit goal would be to resolve to exercise for 20 minutes 5 days a week, or to resolve that all food portions fit in one hand. These are tangible habits that you can track. And there’s another key point…tracking. It sounds so rudimentary, but the way that we’re wired, we are motivated when we see that we are doing something and when we see that we’re not. So once you decide on a habit goal, track it. Use a sticky note, white board, or whatever works best for you and check off each day of the week that you do that habit.
Another goal might be to save $1000 by the end of the year. That’s a hope not a habit. Decide that you’re going to automatically transfer X dollars from your checking to your savings after every pay day. You can even start small, like deciding to save 1% the first month, and increase it by 1% each month. By the end of the year, you’ll be saving 12% of your income, probably without really realizing it! More about this concept can be found at the Afford Anything blog.
Do you see the difference with a habit goal and how it can be far more achievable when there are specific steps in place where you can track your progress?
I don’t know about you, but this kind of thing gets me excited. I want to be successful, and I want others to be successful too. Although I’m not in the habit of making resolutions, I’ve had to make goals for work, and I remember how it felt looking at my goals the following year realizing that I hadn’t achieved them. I would roll the goal into the next year, only to do the exact same thing with the un-achieved goal the following year.
Part of the problem for me was that I wasn’t excited about the goals and didn’t have buy-in. If you’re not excited about a goal, then you won’t be committed to it. So, even if it has something to do with eating healthier or exercising regularly, which many wouldn’t find exciting, figure out a way to make it exciting for YOU.
One of my goals for 2018 is to read a book a week.
To start the year, I read The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. If you want one book that will change your life, you can buy it right now HERE. Seriously, it will change. your. life. That is, if you allow it and you’re committed 100% to that change. Change takes work. Hard work.
I am not a morning person AT ALL. Those that know me well know that I stay up pretty late most nights and often lay in bed for a long time before falling asleep. I’ve always been a night owl. For many years I’ve wanted to be a morning person but I just struggle with getting up early.
For this reason, I was a bit apprehensive about this book. I had read reviews and it had been recommended to me and I thought, “that sounds really good, but I already have a hard time getting up when I have to now, so I don’t know if it’s for me.”
But, I’m 100% committed to becoming a better version of myself in 2018, so I figured LET’S DO THIS.
I’m already glad I did. I can see change and we’re only ten days in. And I’m going to put this out there right now…I’m committed to making it past January 21st. In fact, feel free to hold me accountable. Maybe at the end of 2018 I’ll do a recap post to reflect on the Miracle Morning in particular.
While I still recommend that you get your own copy of The Miracle Morning, the basic idea is that you have a morning routine with 6 key components to start your day before you get involved in the hustle and bustle of work and kids and the schedule for the day. These 6 components are: silence, affirmations, visualization, exercise, reading, and writing. Hal has a great acronym for helping you remember, and in his book he goes into detail about each one, ideas for what to do, and why each is important. The order of each item can vary as you tailor it to fit you, as well as the time allotted for each. My goal has been to aim for about an hour total. Some days I’ve gotten that, while other days I’ve had to really reduce the time on each, or finish a few of the components after Reagan is awake. #momlife
It’s still really hard for me to actually get out of bed in the morning. But once I’m up, I love the routine. And I love that you can keep it simple. For example, for the exercise component I downloaded the 7 minute workout app and I love it! It’s fast and simple and you can choose different areas of the body to focus on each day. You know I love efficiency…these 7 minutes are exactly that.
I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts recently and one of the interviewees said that the biggest barrier to us achieving goals is what’s between our ears. It’s you. It’s your MINDSET.
Change your mindset, change your life.
One way that I am staying inspired and motivated to not give up on my commitments is to listen to inspiring podcasts. This has been revolutionary for me. I realize that I’m pretty behind the times in just discovering these now, but WOW! There is so much you can learn for free!
They say if the average person drives 20,000 miles a year that’s 3,000 hours in the car. If you were using that time to learn, you’d have the equivalent of the time spent on a college degree each year.
Imagine the possibilities.
I spend a considerable amount of time in the car. This no longer frustrates me like it used to because every trip is an opportunity to learn and be inspired.
Think about those resolutions you made. Or maybe you didn’t make any, but there’s something in your life you’d like to change. Start small so you see small wins. Small wins will encourage you to stay motivated to make big wins. Set goals that are habits that you can track. And, if you want accountability, make a comment on this post on what habit goal you have this year.
Whatever you do, be committed 100%. Make 2018 your best year ever. #relentlesstortoise