New Year’s Resolution Mistake 5: Copying an Ill-Fitting Routine
Not everyone works the same way. Some people thrive on discipline and routine, others prefer randomness. Some people have small pockets of free time, some have it all at the end of the week. If you only have half an hour spare every evening, use that time to work on your goal.
If you are learning a new skill, find out whether you suit an Auditory, Visual or Kinaesthetic learning style. Do what comes naturally to you and the habit will be easier to form.
New Year’s Resolution Mistake 6: Expecting Perfection.
Unfortunately in this culture of quick fixes all those magazine articles and guests on morning TV promise you that it’s easy to achieve your goal.
“Drink these shakes, watch the fat melt off.”
“Strap on this electronic belt while watching tv and get a six pack without any EFFORT.”
“Earn a SIX FIGURE INCOME with our FREE E-Book”
If it was easy, 60% of the UK population wouldn’t be overweight or obese. Trouble is, to get noticed you have to promise your consumers that it will change their life, so your expectations are sky high. When reality hits, and you achieve mediocre results, or don’t see the “instant change” they promised you, you get disheartened and quit.
Get a calendar and mark off every day you kept up the habit. If you miss a day, get straight back on it. Think about the total number of days you did in a given month, not how many in a row.
I’m introducing cold showers every morning, some days I’ve had poor sleep and I’m not in the mood for cold. I give myself that day knowing I can get straight back on it tomorrow. Don’t treat 100% success as the baseline.
Be proud every day you achieve it, not annoyed every day you don’t.
New Year’s Resolution Mistake 7: Self-Limiting Thoughts.
Eliminate negative self-talk. This is true in life, not just for your goals. Don’t think anything to yourself you wouldn’t let a stranger say to your face. Just because it comes from you doesn’t make it any less damaging mentally
If you feel like you can’t succeed, think of someone who has what you want. How would they act in the situation you are in? Sometimes the negative thoughts come from others who feel the need to put you down, that says way more about them than it does about you.
They could feel threatened, realise they need to take action themselves. They don’t really mean to put you down, they are normally angry at themselves. If it’s a friend or family member, simply say “Doing this is important to me. I would appreciate if you would respect that.”
New Year’s Resolution Mistake 8: No Plan B
Relapse is inevitable – plan for it! As we said earlier, perfection is not the immediate goal.
How much flexibility have you built in to your goal? Are you exercising? Does that depend on the gym being open, always having free time at the weekend, or nice weather to run?
Healthy Eating? If you have to get lunch in town, do you know how to choose healthy foods? You’re eating out with friends and they want to go to Burger King, what’s the plan? Make sure you have a Plan B ready, as eventually you’ll need it.
New Year’s Resolution Mistake 9: Turning Slip-ups into Give-ups
If you can remember the acronym H.A.L.T. Willpower is especially weak when you are Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired. Be aware of slip-ups in these four states and plan to overcome them, or reduce the time spent experiencing them.
Say the inevitable happens and you do mess up. Again, we’re not looking for perfection straight away. Since when did achieving something have to come without any setbacks?
Imagine you wanted to become a Chess Grandmaster but in the second week you lose a match to a friend and just give up completely. Or you try to learn to play guitar, but as soon as you play the wrong note you stop forever. It sounds stupid doesn’t it? But that’s exactly how some of you approach your goals.
This is important…
The new habit is something you are learning so in the same way as anything else worth doing it will come with mistakes. If you slip up on your diet and catch yourself eating unhealthy food, don’t just give in.
- Recognise the behaviour
- Fight against temptation
- Know that you can get back on track if you want to.
You can turn every slip-up into a lesson. Analyse why you failed, and plan so it doesn’t happen again.
Thanks for reading these nine key points . Please share this article and help others achieve their New Year’s Resolution!
