Happy New Year!!

New Year New You?

The New Year's To-Do List...

It's that time of year again. The time when all of us begin to think about just how we can make positive changes in our lives so that this year will be better than the year that just passed. In fact, so many of us do it that there is even a Top 10 list of the most common New Year's Resolutions. I am sure that it comes as no surprise to anyone that exercising more tops the list. After all, New Year New You right? How many of us really stick to our resolutions after week two though? As it turns out, about 80 percent of us lose our resolve somewhere between late January and early February (according to Forbes). Psychologist Joseph Luciani says that answer to why this happens is simple: self-sabotage. Dr. Luiani and the other experts have all kinds of tips for avoiding failure when it comes to keeping your New Year's Resolutions but most of these suggestions seem as exhausting as the resolutions themselves. For instance, experts suggest setting a budget if your resolution is to spend less money in the coming year. I don't know about the rest of you but when I set a budget I will inevitably blow it and find ways to justify doing so by claiming that the purchases I made were not superfluous. I will also convince myself that Sunday calories don't count, 5 miles is long enough of a run, and that organizing just one or two spaces in my house is going to make enough of a difference in my life so the rest of my clutter can stay. There is a better way to conquer things though, and it all starts with changing your mindset at its core.

Think Differently...

For many of us, thinking about how to be successful in the new year involves looking to the future. That is the real problem though. We have never really dealt with our past. I am not saying that you shouldn't set a goal. Instead, what I am saying is that in order to obtain that goal you must first be willing to figure out why you haven't reached that goal in the past. One of the ways you can do this is by undertaking a personal assessment of where you are with your goal from the onset so that you can set out a reasonable set of expectations for yourself concerning how you will reach it. Without this assessment, you will most likely find a million excuses for why you can't succeed. Think of it this way, when an artist is seeking to create his or her masterpiece they don't just sit down and start creating. They collect their supplies or do their research, and they reflect on what they want they want to express with their art. In essence, they do all of the upfront work to ensure that they will be successful. Think of your life as your masterpiece then and collect your supplies accordingly before getting started.

Getting Started...

The hardest part of doing anything is getting started. This is especially true if failure is already set to greet you. You can head off failure by taking the necessary prep time to seek out the pitfalls before they trip you up. For example, if your goal is to exercise more in the new year don't jump right in on January first with an expensive gym membership and a difficult regimen of workouts. Instead, take the whole month of January to figure out where you are with your exercise amounts and gradually add to these over the next thirty-one. This will give you the time you need to figure out things like your current physical limitations and your time restraints so that you don't stop going to the gym or track in February because you don't have time. You should also keep a daily journal of things like when you exercised, what type of exercise was most comfortable for you, and how long you exercised. These types of assessments can help you see what times each day work for you, what type of exercises make you feel the best, and what hours in the day you actually have for the set tasks come February.

Strategies for Success...

Taking the necessary prep time in January will better equip you to set forth good strategies for success that can carry you through the year. This isn't just true for a resolution to exercise more. Looking at your eating habits and triggers in January can also help you set forth better habits for the future. You must hold yourself accountable in some way though, so keeping an eating journal in January is just as crucial as the exercise one would be to your resolution to exercise more. Don't keep this food journal past February or March though or it could have you obsessing over everything you put in your face which isn't healthy. The purpose of your food or exercise journal should also change from January to February. Remember that January was about assessing past behaviors and February is about setting forth new ones. Once you know what time of day works best for you to eat, exercise, organize one space in your home, etc., and how much time you have for these things then it gets easier in February to start to set routines in motion.

Creatures of Habit...

We self-sabotage our New Year's Resolutions because we are creatures of habit. Change sounds great until it comes time to change and when the hard work begins the luster fades quickly so we fall back into old habits for comfort. If you take January to assess where you are starting from then you can start with realistic goals in February as you formulate your plan for success. Just like you took January slow, you should also do the same with February though. For example, don't start February with a rigid meal plan based on the eating habits you discovered in January. Changing your entire diet in one week will have you craving and missing things. That will lead to resentment which will inevitably lead to cheating and failure. Instead, maybe start by cutting out little things you won't miss the first week and only meal planning or prepping for three days a week. On week 2 you can add a day, on week three you add two, and by week four of February you have all seven days prepped or planned. Easing into change helps you break the old habits and set new, more healthy ones.

Over Indulgence...

It is no surprise that the things most people resolve to change about themselves in the new year are related to over indulgences. We always want more of a good thing after all. That's human nature. By giving yourself the first two months of the year to find out what you think the good things are and how much of a good thing is a bad thing you allow yourself to set better ways of thinking for the foreseeable future. This doesn't just apply to exercise or eating. One of the top things people resolve to change in the new year is their spending habits. Here again, journaling in January to track where your money goes and cutting out things in February can be far more effective than setting a budget. This is because setting a budget is restrictive and no one likes to be told no. Figuring out where your money goes in January and what you can live without in February seems less so because you are making the choice to be better rather than telling yourself you are bad, to begin with. I can not stress enough how important positive self-talk is to the overall success of anything you try to achieve.

Achievability Equals Success...

Ultimately, the more achievable your goal is the better your chance of reaching it. Journaling in January and February can help you with that. They can also help you get into a better mindset because these journals can act as a way to see how far you have come and be proud of your hard work. This will help you in those moments in March and beyond when you think you can't do it anymore. The evidence of how far you come will also act as a deterrent to self-sabotage because no one really likes to quit after having come so far. Whatever your New Year's Resolution is, Slick and I believe in you. We would also love it if you came and visited us on our Instagram. You can do so by clicking any of the pictures in this post. Happy New Year!!