In the Christmas/New Year's time, it's normal to start planning for the 365 new days ahead.
It's curious how every human mind works (almost) in the exact same way:
I'm a big fan of new year's resolutions. I usually have them every month.
The problem is that the resolutions I make in January very rarely reach the following month.
In 2014, against all odds, there were two resolutions I was able to maintain throughout the whole year.
photo credit: eccampbell via photopin cc
The first decision was that 2014 would be The Zen Year.
I can genuinely state that the year ends with a great deal more inner tranquility than it began.
I had to do my "homework": go to yoga classes, go to the psychologist's office, think and reflect a lot, observe behaviors and automatic reactions, do a "demeditation" course.
I am quite happy with the results and I hope to keep them up for the next 12 months.
The second decision was to have a monthly "engagement" with the people I spent the new year with: husband, mother, aunt and uncle.
Thanks to our joint action (in different months, different people would remind the others of the engagement), we were able to have at least 12 family dinners/lunches, almost always in different places.
These may not seem like great resolutions, but inner peace and quality family time are heavy weights on my scale.
So what conclusions can I draw from 2014 on how to keep a resolution for the whole year?
Deep down inside, you have to believe in its relevance for your well being and you have to want that change as much as you want hot water in your morning shower.
The more people involved, the more difficult it will be to abandon your decision. It's as if other people are helping you "pull the weight" of the resolution.
I remember hearing a speaker once at an event talking about his decision to quit smoking, and how he would tell this decision he made to anyone who would listen.
Why?
Because by getting other people involved, the weight of the decision increases. There are more people "controlling" the outcome, checking if the new behavior is kept or if you fall of the tracks.
You become accountable to others, not just yourself. And the embarrassment of failing is bigger...
This third element I learned it during a recent sales workshop I took.
We were discussing habits and how, even though you may be full of good intentions, when you want to start a new habit you sometimes simply lack the time.
Of course you can argue "you always have time for the things you really want". That's true. But it's also true that the day has 24 hours and there aren't enough letters you can write to Santa Claus to change that.
A good strategy then can be to choose a bad habit you want to quit, in order to use that time implementing the new good habit.
In my case, I gave up some of the time I would spend on my favorite workout: surfing on the couch. So the time I spent doing nothing, was invested in other activities that were more important to me.
What bad habit could you give up in order to have more time?
These are my conclusions. What about you?
Do you have any trick up your sleeve that helps you keep a decision/change/new year's resolution longer?
Leave your ideas in the comments.
And thanks for sharing this post on Facebook!
It's curious how every human mind works (almost) in the exact same way:
- big life "changes" must start in January;
- diets have to start on a Monday.
I'm a big fan of new year's resolutions. I usually have them every month.
The problem is that the resolutions I make in January very rarely reach the following month.
In 2014, against all odds, there were two resolutions I was able to maintain throughout the whole year.
The first decision was that 2014 would be The Zen Year.
I can genuinely state that the year ends with a great deal more inner tranquility than it began.
I had to do my "homework": go to yoga classes, go to the psychologist's office, think and reflect a lot, observe behaviors and automatic reactions, do a "demeditation" course.
I am quite happy with the results and I hope to keep them up for the next 12 months.
The second decision was to have a monthly "engagement" with the people I spent the new year with: husband, mother, aunt and uncle.
Thanks to our joint action (in different months, different people would remind the others of the engagement), we were able to have at least 12 family dinners/lunches, almost always in different places.
These may not seem like great resolutions, but inner peace and quality family time are heavy weights on my scale.
So what conclusions can I draw from 2014 on how to keep a resolution for the whole year?
1. The resolution has to be genuinely important.
Deep down inside, you have to believe in its relevance for your well being and you have to want that change as much as you want hot water in your morning shower.
2. The resolution has to involve others.
The more people involved, the more difficult it will be to abandon your decision. It's as if other people are helping you "pull the weight" of the resolution.
I remember hearing a speaker once at an event talking about his decision to quit smoking, and how he would tell this decision he made to anyone who would listen.
Why?
Because by getting other people involved, the weight of the decision increases. There are more people "controlling" the outcome, checking if the new behavior is kept or if you fall of the tracks.
You become accountable to others, not just yourself. And the embarrassment of failing is bigger...
3. The resolution needs time.
This third element I learned it during a recent sales workshop I took.
We were discussing habits and how, even though you may be full of good intentions, when you want to start a new habit you sometimes simply lack the time.
Of course you can argue "you always have time for the things you really want". That's true. But it's also true that the day has 24 hours and there aren't enough letters you can write to Santa Claus to change that.
A good strategy then can be to choose a bad habit you want to quit, in order to use that time implementing the new good habit.
In my case, I gave up some of the time I would spend on my favorite workout: surfing on the couch. So the time I spent doing nothing, was invested in other activities that were more important to me.
What bad habit could you give up in order to have more time?
These are my conclusions. What about you?
Do you have any trick up your sleeve that helps you keep a decision/change/new year's resolution longer?
Leave your ideas in the comments.
And thanks for sharing this post on Facebook!
No comments:
Post a Comment