Did you make any resolutions this year? How are they going? This is what my piece in yesterday’s JEP was about:

Don’t resolve: commit

Are you a habitual New Year’s resolver? Do you love that exciting feeling when you find inspirational content about making and keeping ‘get healthy’ resolutions?
Now, in the second week of 2020, how are your health resolutions going? Just fine, or are old habits already starting to kick back in?

You are not alone! When we ‘resolve’ to do something, it’s a bit like telling our brain we ‘should’ do it…then we start feeling pressured to do the things we were initially excited about. Our resolutions dwindle and we ‘fail’ yet again.

The good news is, by reframing your intentions, making reasons important and personal to you, and monitoring your thoughts and beliefs, you can succeed.

Let’s take over-eating chocolate to illustrate, but you can substitute junk food, alcohol, cigarettes, etc.

Destined to fail: I resolve to give up eating chocolate for all of January and then maybe all year! (Well, except for birthdays and Easter!). Also, I feel sluggish, my partner wants me to lose weight and I should get healthier anyway.

Good chance of succeeding: I want to be energetic in the afternoons, I definitely want to think more clearly, and I really don’t want to develop diabetes.

So, instead of eating a bar of milk chocolate every day, I commit to… [Fill in your own approach here, using small, manageable steps.]

Of course, stuff happens and, for whatever reason, you don’t do what you planned. Instead of thinking, ‘Ach! I’m a failure! This doesn’t work for people like me!’ or ‘I’ve already had one bar of chocolate… I may as well eat the other three and start again on Monday’, turn your thoughts around: ‘Hmm, what triggered that? OK, no harm done; I’ll get back on track now and avoid that trigger next time.’

Sometimes, though, it’s like some inner monster is overriding common sense and we self-sabotage again and again. This ‘monster’ is usually a part of you that’s trying to help you avoid emotional pain.

However, while it may have helped in the past, it may be doing the opposite now. Identifying causal incidences in your past (with talking therapy or hypnotherapy if needed) and replacing old beliefs and behaviours with updated, better versions can make all the difference.

The best thing you can do is love yourself now. Be your own cheerleader; pat yourself on the back for every achievement.

You can do this.

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If you need help moving your own personal or work/business life forward, contact Jacqui Carrel now for a free 20-minute, no-obligation call.