It's Not about How You Start, It's How You Finish
New Years Day, 2019 was 283 days ago. The top resolutions made on that date were:
To lose weight To save money To learn a new skill or hobby
Does this surprise you? This list is identical to every year since 2009.
The Compound Effect
The Compound Effect is a NYT Bestselling book about how small decisions can add up to giant results. Author Darren Hardy states “Forget about willpower. It’s time for why-power. Your choices are only meaningful when you connect them to your desires and dreams. The wisest and most motivating choices are the ones aligned with that which you identify as your purpose, your core self, and your highest values. You’ve got to want something, and know why you want it, or you’ll end up giving up too.” Why do we continue to set the same goals for ourselves, year after year, after year? Is it that we don’t actually want to change? If we repeatedly want to lose weight, save money and learn something new, it just can’t be that we’re all fat, poor and boring. According to Darren Hardy we must be giving up and not connecting these goals to our highest values. In reality, we do not enjoy getting out of our comfort zone. We lose energy and we lose track of why we want to lose weight, save money or learn something new. Then, 283 days later we're in the exact same place we were the year prior. Finding your why is not something often discussed. So, instead of encouraging you to eat more fruits and veggies and save more money, I've provided three ways that will help you build the right momentum towards reaching the bio-individual goals you set for yourself almost a year ago.
Exercise Positivity by Keeping a Gratitude Journal.
Did you know humans are designed to love unconditionally? We have disciplined ourselves and those around us to compensate in ways that work against our nature. Like our muscles, our mind is a muscle that needs exercise - Now, more than ever as we compare and limit our beliefs with negative self talk. In understanding how these acts of self doubt can be debilitating, we can approach every new day with a sense of appreciation by writing down three items you’re grateful for every night. Biologically, this practice increases our serotonin encouraging us to meet our purpose with confidence and a positive perspective. Similar to foods with low nutritional value, we instinctively can crowd out thoughts that bring us down.
By making this an ongoing exercise, we are redirecting the course of our life with every choice sending any excuses unconnected to our why-power down the same black hole our New Year Resolutions have gone for the last decade.
Want another idea:? https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-dance-connection/201010/unwanted-thoughts-snap-the-rubber-band
Approach Your Finances with Compassion and Honesty.
Our finances are a substantial piece of our livelihood, but can you guess how many people do not have an emergency fund of at least $400? According to the Federal Reserve, it is forty percent. From my experience as a Health Coach, I often recognize similar patterns between clients' relationship with food and money. Why? Food and money are disposable items that both need to be deposited somewhere. If we have a healthy relationship with our finances, we invest, save and spend appropriately. Conversely, when we have a healthy relationship with food we put the right investments into our body, and spend that energy wisely. Becoming an expert on your finances before the year is over has the ability to re-empower your why-power to become WELLthy. Calendarize a day to review your income, debt and dreams.
Commit to The One Thing YOU Know YOU Need To Do.
Steven Press in The War of Art states, “The more scared we are of work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it…Therefore the more fear we feel about a specific enterprise, the more certain we can be that that enterprise is important to us and to the growth of our soul.”
Our intuition is the most accurate compass available us. It can effect our finances and our time if we do not listen to it. I often ask my clients, "What is the one thing you want to change?" Their response is almost always the first item they find a solution for.
As you're reading this, your intuition may be whispering the exact change you want to make to get to your specific goals. This could be to ditch the Venti Chai Latte each morning. Perhaps it is telling you to walk the dog for 20 minutes after work. It might be trying to convince you to go to yoga three times per week. Enroll in a sewing class. It may even be saying “Sign up for that marathon!” If there is one item that has been on your NYR list for years, write it down, and start now. Welcome this choice, celebrate that first accomplishment and use it as momentum from that success to the next.