| Are you a person who makes resolutions every
New Year’s celebration, only to be disappointed in yourself later
when you don’t keep them? If so, you’re not alone! Each New Year is an
opportunity for a fresh start, a new beginning and so we resolve to improve our lives in
some way, to renew ourselves along with the calendar. Yet few of us actually follow
through with the changes we’ve resolved to make. Let’s take a look at why some
frequently made resolutions (for example to change our diets, to lead healthier lifestyles
or to exercise more) are so difficult to keep.
Resolutions we make to improve ourselves in some
way often stem from conflicting emotions. If we feel we are "too fat" then the
resolution to "go on a diet" contains the emotion of not feeling good enough. At
the same time, we all have emotional attachments to certain foods, and if those foods are
to be excluded from our new diet, we add the emotion of feeling deprived to the emotion of
not feeling good enough. The worse we feel about ourselves, the less likely we are to
"stay on the diet", because the emotion of feeling better about ourselves for
losing weight and the emotion of feeling better through eating "comfort food"
conflict. Usually the immediate emotional comfort will take precedence over the more
distant reward of a healthier, more attractive body.
Habit also interferes with the keeping of
resolutions. I’ve been told it takes 27 repetitions to create a new habit. It takes
at least that long to break an old habit and replace it with a new one. It also takes
consistent willpower, which many of us lack! So if we adhere to our New Year’s
resolution for 10, 15, even 20 days, and then go back to our old ways for a day or so,
then it’s like having to start right back at square one again. I believe that is why
so many people buy memberships in fitness clubs and only use them for a few weeks. The
habit of going to the gym has not been thoroughly programmed into their lifestyle so a few
days of sickness, or a busy period at the office is enough to set them back into their old
couch potato routine.
If you’ve read this far, you’re probably
nodding your head by now and saying to yourself: Yes, that sounds like me! You’re
probably wondering if there is any hope at all for those New Year’s Resolutions you
were determined to make and stick to this year. If so, read on, because I’d like to
make some suggestions that just may help make this New Year different from all the ones
that came before.
- Start with an inventory of all the things you love about yourself.
List them all on a sheet of paper. For example: I love my ability to make friends, or I
love the color of my hair.
- Next, make a list of all the "improvements" that could
make you love yourself even more, but state them in positive terms, like they have already
taken place. For example instead of saying: I need to lose 10 pounds so I look good in
that outfit I used to wear, you could say: I am so glad I lost 10 pounds and I love the
way I look in that outfit.
- Make a list of all the changes you could easily make that would
improve your quality of life and health. Again, state them in positive terms, as if you
are already doing them. For example: I love taking these vitamin supplements and I love
these low carbohydrate foods…they give me so much energy, or I love the fact that I
no longer use toxic cleaners in my home…my allergies rarely bother me now.
Put your lists up in a conspicuous place where you
are sure to see them every day. Some people post them on the bathroom mirror, others on
the refrigerator door. Read them as often as possible and FEEL the positive emotions as
you read them. This is called reprogramming your mind through your emotions. |
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