How to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions.

Now, that’s a pretty negative way to start this blog and you might be thinking ‘well how do I change then??’

If it feels uncomfortable, good! That means it’s working and you’ve got to lean into it. Like everything within the human system developing new habits is like building a muscle. Never has someone left the gym with a spring in their step saying that was the most beneficial legs day ever. The ones that build the most muscle are the sessions where you have to get a friend to help you out because your legs aren’t working, The same goes for changing behaviour and habits. It’s all muscle and we strengthen the ones we use.

Don’t rely on feeling motivated to do something… it won’t help. To achieve something different we need to dig deep and use Grit. As mentioned, motivation comes after the event, Grit is what will get you to the table. Grit is a learnable trait that combines delayed gratification, passion, desires and values rather than momentary gains. Yes, it’s going to feel uncomfortable, and no you probably don’t want to do it, but yes you know It’ll feel good after the event so dig deep and just do it… as the popular sportswear company Nike might say.

Break any goal down into small, achievable parts. Think what, when, where and how you’ll achieve each step. As an example, when we say ‘I’m going to lose/gain two stone by this time next year it can be overwhelming. Think small goals lead to big achievements, like losing one pound every week and when the platform of justice shows your success, let it wash over you and celebrate it each and every time knowing that you’ve done well. Equally, when things go less well, be honest and realistic as to why and shift back to using Grit the very next day.

Understand your reaction to personal change and use tools/methods to increase and track personal accountability. Change starts with an intention, and then comes an action. The action becomes a behaviour and repeating the behaviour becomes a habit.

To help you stick to the new behaviour try:

• Go public. Tell people about your goals. Accountability increases when we speak of what we want to achieve. Also, we hear our commitments back which compounds the message of change in our brains.
• Use an Accountability Angel. Ask a friend to hold your feet to the fire. Knowing that the next time you see them they’ll ask you about your progress. No one likes to let other people down
• Track it. Use apps or even spreadsheets to see progress. Having visibility over what you aim to achieve can help you see progress and how far you’ve come.