A few weeks ago, millions of people throughout the UK made New Year’s resolutions … and this Sunday, most people are going to break them. In fact, the 17th of January has become known as “Ditch Your New Year’s Resolution Day” because statistically, that’s when the most people break their diets, pick up a cigarette, or skip their exercise for the day, just weeks into a change that was supposed to last the whole year.
While there are lots of reasons that people break their resolutions, I’ve found that for many women it’s because they approach them in Superwoman mode, which is unsustainable over the long term. If you want to make a change that will actually stick, you need to:
Make sure it’s what you actually want
It’s so easy to get excited about a big change in your life, only to realise later that actually, that’s not something you really care about. To avoid this, don’t just approach your goals with your head — really tune in to your heart’s desire as you’re setting goals so that you don’t end up pouring a ton of time and energy into accomplishing something that’s not aligned with your deepest purpose.
Approach it in your soft power
If you approach your new goal with the expectation that you’ll be functioning in totally the same energy, to absolutely the same degree every single day, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. Instead, plan this change into your life in line with the natural cycles of your body and the seasons.
Practically speaking, this means that trying to really amp up your workout programme when you’re entering into the fallow period of your cycle probably isn’t going to work out all that well — the same goes for expecting yourself to be as great at meditating when you’re in your spring, Warrioress energy as when you’re in Sorceress or Queen. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you have to stop doing your new thing according to the different times of your cycle. But it does mean that you should be aware of what’s going on with your energy and plan accordingly.
Use your network to support you
Studies have shown that you’re much, much more likely to follow through with a change if you have people around you to support you with it. This is where your network comes in. Whether you need someone to watch your kids for an hour a week so you can go to pottery class, or you need an accountability partner for your daily writing, your network can be an invaluable source of support, so make sure you’re making the most of it.
Build momentum with little wins
This is especially important at the beginning, or any time that you’re moving up to the next level of whatever your change is. You need to get a few little wins under your belt first thing so that you have the energy to keep going and so that you can keep your flow from getting blocked. So even if it’s something very small to start with, like saving just one pound a week as part of making a financial goal, do it! The more you stick with it, the more you train yourself to keep doing it, which is just what you need to make big changes over the long term.
What are some big changes you want to make this year? Tell me in the comments below so I can cheer you on!
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