This might be a little out of the ordinary, but I’m kind of sick of New Year’s Resolutions. Why? Well, at the end of every year you find a bunch of people saying, “This year I won’t keep doing X, Y, and Z”. The New Year should be a time of setting goals, reaching high, and planning exciting things for the future, not a time to look back at the previous year and see where you can slash bad things in your life in the next year. Now don’t get me wrong, I am totally on board with people quitting bad habits and ending unhealthy behavior, but there’s a better, more positive way to do it.
Let’s look at one example of a New Years resolution that you hear countless people say: “I am going to quit eating crap and I’m going to lose weight.” Simple, harmless, but ineffective. Let me explain. Here are the Top Three Changes you need to make to set killer New Year’s Goals.
1. Enough With The Negative
We get it, you may have gained a few extra pounds over the course of 2015, but once that clock hits12:00am, it’s a new year, so leave your self-loathing in the past, literally, and focus on the positives. Instead of saying, “I will eat less crap and lose all this weight”, a simple change in the way you phrase your goals can mean the difference between actually doing them, and putting them back in the closet with all of your other failed resolutions. Instead of framing your
resolutions in a negative tone, turn it around into a positive for yourself, like this:
“I will eat more fruits and vegetables and less sugary drinks and refined foods. I will also exercise to make myself feel better and healthier.”
Do you see the difference? The first resolution doesn’t even sound like fun, however, the second resolution gives you an incentive to actually do the thing you said you would. Eating more fruits and vegetables while cutting out sugar and refined foods will naturally help you lose weight, and thus, you can change the weight loss goal into exercising for the sake of being and feeling healthier.
2. Instead of “I will do …” Change To “I am …”
What’s the biggest difference? Procrastination. Saying, “I will do …” doesn’t give you an incentive to actually do it, it gives you an incentive to push it back as long as possible. By changing “I will” to “I am”, it gives you an incentive to actually do it, because when you write down goals in the present/future tense, it automatically enables your brain to picture that event actually happening. So, instead of “I will lose 10 lbs by summer of 2016”, switch it to, “I am 10 lbs lighter by summer of
2016″. Notice the difference?
3. Set BIG GOALS
There’s nothing more that I can’t stand is when people set goals they know they can’t reach without pushing themselves. What do I mean? Let’s look at it from a weight lifting perspective. Let’s say there is a woman with a 150lb squat, and her fitness resolution is to have a 165lb squat by the end of next year.
Yes, this sounds dramatic if you look at it in terms of weightlifting, but this is what people do when they set personal, spiritual, or business goals. I read a quote that pretty much said, “If your goals don’t scare you, you’re not setting them high enough.” I firmly believe that. If your goals don’t scare you, empower you, and even keep you up at night with excitement, you’re not setting them high enough and you’re not doing yourself a favor.
Paleo + Cheese 