12/30/15

Happy New Year!!!  Between Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, you’ve probably had plenty of time to indulge in holiday treats.  However, a New Year is on the horizon, bringing with it all of the potential for change and a fresh start.  New Year’s also brings a since of nostalgia for the year that is currently coming to a close. 

So we are out with the old in with the new, and honestly, that’s what makes New Year’s Resolutions so great.  We get to look towards the future and be excited about what’s to come.  As we plan for our new New Year’s Resolutions, it’s common to ruminate on the previous year’s failed Resolutions.  So to be sure we don’t allow history to repeat itself, I offer 6 Ways to Accomplish Your New Year’s Resolutions.  I’m adding to last year’s list.

 

1.  Start before January 1st.

As the old proverb goes, “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago; the second best time to plant a tree is right now.”  If you are serious about a goal, prove it to yourself by getting a jump-start on it.  I know it’s nice to have a definitive point from where to start, but you can think about milestones later.  Don’t wait another day to start becoming a better version of you.

 

2.  Make sure it’s something you want, and not just something you need.

As a hypnotist, if I get the feeling that my client is there because his spouse told him to come, I find it best to give him his money back and ask him to come back when he’s ready to change on his own accord.  I rarely have success helping someone change against his or her will.  It’s just like how rehab rarely works unless people want to be sober more than they enjoy doing drugs.  So as you plan your resolutions, stay away from should’s and need’s.  However, if you’re looking for motivation to pursue something you need, I could refer you to a great hypnotist.

 

3.  Don’t do it alone.

This is so easy to forget.  Some people’s goals are so personal to them that they don’t remember that there are others with similar struggles who could be instrumental in pursuing change.  People provide motivation, healthy competition, and learning, which is great because let’s face it, there is something to learn from everyone you encounter.  Of course, there are more than one ways of finding community and even accountability.  You may like to join a gym, take a class, join a support group, or even tell a bunch of friends about your progress and goals so they can encourage you.  Just be sure reframe from excessive selfies and social media posts (it gets tacky after a while).  Humans are communal animals by nature.  You are setting yourself up for success if you have plenty of external support.

 

4.  Break your goal up into specific increments.

It is important to have long-term and short-term goals and milestones.  Your long-term goal may be to lose some weight this year.  Start out by making it specific.  Maybe you would like to release 60 pounds this year (I say release because no one really loses anything on purpose).  Then you have a shorter-term goal of releasing 5 pounds each month.  Your goal for the week may be to exercise for an hour for 4 days out of that week.  Your goal for the day may be to go to the gym and set up a membership.  What every your goal may be, you have to be able to find a way to compartmentalize it with the rest of your life.  That’s why we break it up and find milestones.

 

5.  Celebrate every step of the way.

Let the celebration start now.  As soon as you begin perusing a goal, allow yourself to feel like a winner.  That will help you enjoy the work you put into your resolution, and as you shift how you see yourself, you unconsciously fulfill your own prophecies.  If you are convinced that you are going to fail at your resolution, you will.  Quickly.  So tell someone about how proud you are of yourself (while exercising a reasonable amount of humility).  Allow the small victories to make you feel good just like the big ones will.  The ability to be grateful to yourself for the work that you have done for yourself can be powerful enough to get you to next December.

 

6.  Practice the use of affirmations.

Affirmations are wonderful tools for shifting your focus.  Take some time each day to boldly proclaim your goal to yourself.  Make your affirmations as positive, personal, and direct as possible.  If your goal is to take control of your weight, then maybe your affirmation could be “I, Jane Doe, am be coming a healthier version of myself.”  You could write it out 15 times, say it in the mirror over and over, or even put your affirmation into a song.  Get creative, and allow your affirmation to shape your focus.

 

Bonus Secret: 

If you are interested in releasing weight, you may have times when you feel as if you are too far behind your schedule to accomplish your goal by the year’s end.  For some reason, that enables us to decide to quit all together.  Remember that you’re goal should never really be to lose weight, because even if you do lose it you can pick it up again.  The ultimate goal is to adapt a lifestyle that is sustainable and healthful.  This can be applied to any goal.  At the end of the year, you want to know that you have adapted a new set of thoughts or behaviors that will continue to bless your life for years to come.  For get your mind off to a good start, hypnosis might be the tool for you.

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