Forget New Year’s Resolutions!
If you’ve got a simple resolution, such as, “get my car waxed,” that’s a resolution you can keep because it’s a simple goal. But most resolutions are actually lifestyle changes. That’s probably why only 52% think their resolutions will succeed…and then only 12% succeed. If you’re ready for lasting change, don’t make a resolution. Reframe it as a lifestyle change which you’ll make into daily habits.
Step it Up! New Daily Habits
A “goal” a lot of us have set at some time in our lives is to “lose 10 pounds (more or less). Millions of New Year’s Resolutions include diets…even though statistics show that not only do diets not work, the dieter often gains back more! This happens because living at a different weight (like many so-called “goals”) requires a complete lifestyle change rather than a one time event.
It’s been said that at the end of every diet is a binge. I know from experience, having been on pretty much every diet out there, this is true. Following the deprivation of a diet I always binged, gained the weight back and got even bigger. I was a large woman. As long as I looked at my dilemma as something to be solved with a goal nothing changed. As soon as I began treating it as a lifestyle issue, everything changed. Here’s what I did:
- I learned why I was eating, Geneen Roth’s book “When Food is Love” was wonderful
- I used the workbook “Making Peace with Food” which helped me get perspective
- I found support through Overeater’s Anonymous (which at that time did not have food plans,etc. I still get the shivers when anyone mentions a diet or a food plan)
Using these tools I developed new daily habits and got rid of others:
- Stopped weighing
- Stopped all diets
- Exercised regularly (4-5 times a week)
- Ate three meals a day, in general healthy, but really anything I wanted, and nothing in between except a banana, no appetizers
- Ate dessert with dinner if I desired (it’s key to never feel deprived)
See how it works? Some changes don’t belong on your goals list, they belong on your daily habits list.
Suppose you have a messy office. If you write the goal, “Clean my Office”, it will be clean. For how long? 10, 15 minutes? Just kidding. But seriously, unless you develop some daily habits the mess will return. Try the approach I used for food. Figure out, why does my office get messy? Does everything have a place? Maybe you need more filing cabinets. Look around for support, plenty of people struggle with this, there are resources out there. Finally, develop a daily habit(s) to keep your office clean.
Now take a look at your Resolutions. How many belong on your New Daily Habits List? Are there any other daily habits you’d like to establish or reinforce by adding them to the list? For example, I’d like to play the piano more often. I’m going to add “play the piano for 15 minutes” to my Daily Habits list.
What will you put on your Daily Habits list? For your new habits remember to check regularly on your progress. It helps to join forces with an accountability partner, a friend, therapist or coach to help you stay on track.Women have a greater success rate when they go public with their Daily Habits Plan and when they get support from someone else.
If you’re ready to implement your list give me a call. I’ve got a New Year’s Gift for you! $29 off a Daily Habits Plan Coaching Session (regularly $79). Give it a try, you’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to change your life when you’re working with me 
