Lots of people make New Year’s resolutions that last…oh…I’d say about…2 weeks! What’s the problem? The problem is often that they are making resolutions that are not congruent with their wants, beliefs, priorities! They are making resolutions based on what they believe they need to be doing to be better for EVERYONE ELSE. If you hate exercise, and resolve to exercise more, you do it for a week. Then, you hit snooze and remind yourself how much more you like sleep. Therefore, I’m here to tell you, if you make resolutions, make those that actually get you excited! DO NOT make it be things you will be resistant to. Please. For the sake of the rest of our insanity.
If you like cookies, don’t resolve to not eat anymore cookies. Decide to experiment this year with cookies that nourish your body. See it as a quest to find cookies that do 2 things, nourish your body AND make you happy because they taste so good! The real reason you would resolve to give them up is because you believe they are bad for you….so what if they could be GOOD for you?!
If you hate exercise, please don’t tell yourself you will go to the gym every day in 2015. Humans only have so much willpower. Instead, tell yourself you would like to play more of your favorite sport (what golfer wouldn’t love that?!), or put small exercise into routine. Park at the back of the parking lot so it forces you to walk up to the store. Do something with a friend. Do you ever notice how much more fun things are when you are doing them with people that make you laugh?!
If you hate cleaning, maybe instead of promising to stay organized and perfectly clean, make room in your budget for a cleaning lady. You will get the same happy result without all the feet stomping resistance. You will still be deciding to sacrifice something in order to pay for it, but I know I would rather give up buying more clothes to come home to a clean, organized space! I know that used to be my mom’s favorite day to come home from work. It melts off your to-do list and makes time for you to experience and enjoy life…especially if you have kids.
Basically, I’m telling you to think about what you really WANT in the end. The way you get there is not by doing all the things you hate to do. The way to get there is by figuring out how to get that result via the path of least resistance. Those will be the lasting changes. The next step is to think about what you WANT and ask why you want that. Is it because you want to do all the things it takes to get there? Or is it because you think it’s what everyone else wants you to do? Don’t set yourself up to feel guilty everyday because you’re too fat, and then you’re a loser because you couldn’t stay on your diet for longer than 2 weeks. That’s a vicious cycle. If you want to look different, then you also better want all changes that come with it. If you don’t TRULY want to make changes, then maybe the resolution should be to love yourself the way you are.
Think about it.