Instead of a New Year’s Resolution..
The first of the year makes people go a little crazy.
I get it.
I doubt anyone is truly immune to the "New Year, New You" messaging. (There is a reason that companies spend billions on advertising, those messages do get into your subconscious...)
Even though we understand the odds, there is an irresistible alure to the promise of a clean slate. At the stroke of midnight, everything changes. With the new calendar, you will magically want to do all of the things that you didn't want to do last year.
Wouldn't that be amazing?
That is what it boils down to after all. We want to drink less and maybe lose a couple of pounds, and we want to want it so therefore it will be easy.
Completely understandable.
And so important to call a spade a spade and uncover what is really going on.
Easy means rinse and repeat. This guarantees that you will continue getting what you currently have. And there is nothing wrong with this.... if you like what you currently have!
But if you don't like your current results, then choosing a different path is the only way to get different results.
Your primitive brain is going to freak out on you when you do this. It is going to pitch a fit and offer up all of the reasons why this is a terrible idea.
And since your primitive brain knows how to push your buttons, all of the justifications are going to sound reasonable to you. It makes sense that the ones that have adapted and mutated are going to be logically sound to you. They essentially have become beliefs.
This is the great thing about working with a coach. You are at a disadvantage because these thoughts sound "true" to you. They are hidden in plain sight for you and harder to you to identify, but they will sound completely out of left field to someone else. A coach is in a better position to point out these out to you and this is exactly what you need because you will not be able to change until you expose them.
But start with the ones that you already know. I am proposing that you create a watch list and use it to capture your primitive brain's justifying thoughts. You are welcome to use mine below, but drawing your own will make the exercise even more memorable for you because it engages different areas of your brain.
Start to populate the list with the ones that are obvious to you right now. (Mine are- I will start tomorrow; The day is shot, I might as well go all in, ...)
Keep adding to it as things come up. When you slip up, backtrack and figure out the thought that caused you to cave. Uncovering them, so that you can watch out for them in the future, is invaluable.
Keep the list visible so that these justifying thoughts remain top of mind. Review it when it gets close to your witching hour or before you go out.
Writing down these thoughts exposes them and can lessen their power over you. Thoughts are transient, once you start to see them as suggestions and not commands, you can take your power back.
As this year draws to a close, rather than vowing to white knuckle your way into making changes, how about creating some awareness to what is driving the habits that you want to change instead? Creating your own customized watch list will help you understand what is keeping your habit alive and well. Once you have this understanding, you will be able to create change at a sustainable level.
