Why you should Forget New Year’s resolutions, and how to make real change in your life!
Happy New Year all!! It’s has been quite the year I can say. Very eventful and full of ups and downs in the world. My New Year was lovely though, We had a short break in North England with just the tree of us, as there has been no opportunity to celebrate with my family in the Netherlands with the new lockdown restrictions. Our family time was lovely though with lots of fabulous beach walks, castle visits and lots of coffee and cakes!
So, let’s talk 2022, time for a clean slate and new fresh start. But where to begin? I am sure by now you have been bombarded with discounts on a gym membership, diet books and programs full of hope, positivity and promises. What have you committed yourself to these last few days? How do you plan to make change happen in your New Year?
Most of us are in full swing and full of all good intentions for the first month or two but by February -March the gyms are empty again and back to normal capacity and our diet is back to what it was before. I am sure you agree this is not a good way forward.
Why do our resolutions not work? The intention to make a change is there.
The reason why we tend to fail our good intentions is because they are set from a place of fear and negativity. We might look in the mirror and are appalled by what we see and are shocked into setting resolutions to go to the gym immediately to look more like our Hollywood movie stars. We are coughing up a storm and have our 5th flu this winter and realise we really need to eat more vegs to build our immune system, so we invest in a juicer. Only after a few weeks it sits empty on the shelves. Again, the intention is set from a place of fear.
What is the secret to building long lasting change?
The secret to make long lasting change in your life is to create a resolution based on positive mindset, rather than from fear.
Look for a goal that sparks joy and contentment within you. Choose a goal that fills every fibre of your being with happiness. Look to the future and ask yourself the following question:
· What do I want to achieve?
· Why do I want this?
· Why is this important for me now?
· How do I want to feel when I achieved my goal?
· What action can I take today to achieve my goal?
Really feel how you would feel when you achieved your goal. See yourself in the position of the great healthy body, walking down the beach maybe. Think and imagine how good you feel when you are able to run these 10k and see the cheerful and clapping crowd when you finish the charity run you are going to sign up for this summer. Really immerse yourself in this good vibrational and energy.
I promise if you exercise this feeling every day, you will stick to your new resolutions far easier that constantly thinking how crap you look, and how you SHOULD really work out and eat healthier.
What to do next?
Grab yourself a notebook, phone or laptop and write down the answers to these questions and sit down quietly in a corner of your home, office or go outside and start to envision yourself as if you have already achieved these outcomes! Give yourself at least 10 min to do this exercise and repeat as often as you need.
For now, happy New Year!!
X Tineke