New Year, New You?
New Years resolutions. It is the most popular thing to do when we go from one calendar year to the next. We have all experienced (or at least heard of) overly crowded gyms the first week of January only to see the population dwindle before the month is over. (Why else would gym memberships require a year long contract???! DUH!)
Gyms and weight loss programs with long term commitments prey upon YOUR FAILURE. Ouch. That truth hurts. But it’s true. They all know that there is a sense of optimism that looms over the change from year to year yet very few people are able to make actual change stick. Programs that focus on these whims want to make sure they get paid - even when you give up.
So how do you make ACTUAL change?! I can assure you that even though the calendar may change, without careful planning, much forethought and strategy, no actual change will happen when the calendar goes from December 31 to January 1. Actual change must be intentional. Signing up for a gym membership alone is not enough to make long-lasting change.
According to an article written by Amy Morin on psychologytoday.com, an astonishing 19% of people ACTUALLY keep their resolutions. Most are (sadly) abandoned by mid-January. Oof. So what do we do? Is lasting change possible??
There is a point that needs to be said immediately that gets to the point of resolutions: Most people do not change until they are ready. You must be mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually ready for lasting change. You have to be all in for lasting change to occur.
If you are truly seeking change right now, here is some advice to heed.
The biggest token of advice is: START WHEN YOU ARE READY! You don’t have to wait for January 1st. You also don’t have to start on January 1st. You can start when you have your action plan ready to go - no matter what day it may be.
Before you start your transformation here is what you really need.
Get prepared first! As my Army veteran husband would say, “Get your mind right, soldier!”
Establish the steps you need to take to make the change stick.
ACTION! You have already established your steps that you need to take; now set that plan into motion. Part of your action plan needs to be a maintenance plan: how can you stick to your change for the long haul? Make plans ahead of time for when it gets difficult because that is when you make or break your change.
Hopefully with these tips and your new knowledge you can be one of the 19% of people who actually keep their resolutions this year.
I believe in you! If you want it bad enough, you are going to figure out a way. When I want to get something done, I always reming myself of one of my favorite artists and I can hear her say, “you better work b***h!”