Why New Year’s resolutions don’t work (...and what actually does)
Happy New You!…I mean New Year!
Ready for 2022 with your New Year’s resolutions?
To start eating better.
To start exercising.
To save more money.
We know what happens with New Year’s resolutions.
We start off STRONG! and MOTIVATED!
Grrrr…so motivated!!!
We’re hitting the gym!
We’re eating the kale!
We’re LEARNING SPANISH!!
And then…..
Winning at coach potato-ing!
We start taking another “rest day” from working out.
We forget to eat the kale and it goes bad in the fridge.
We say adios to Spanish lessons once the novelty wears off.
What went wrong?
No worries if this has happened to you.
No judgments – you’re not alone.
Why don’t New Year’s resolutions work?
It’s not because you didn’t want it enough.
It’s not because you didn’t try hard enough.
But wanting doesn’t get results.
And white knuckling and powering your way through to the end isn’t sustainable.
The New Year’s Resolution is a start.
But that in itself isn’t enough.
Many people (myself included!) overlook the keys ingredients that ACTUALLY help you achieve your New Year’s resolution:
Accountability
To keep yourself honest
Discipline
To keep showing up after 2 weeks when the novelty wears off
Grit
To keep going when things get hard
Planning
To make the New Year’s resolution an actual goal that gets planned out and scheduled
Follow through
To do what you say you’re going to do when you plan it
Not quitting + Resilience
The ability to get back up when you fall
I used to set weight loss goals year after year…
…and failed at it, year after year.
Why?
Because I was basically winging it.
I didn’t have a plan other than counting calories and exercising.
I didn’t have accountability to keep me honest.
I didn’t have the discipline to honor the meal plans that I made for myself.
I didn’t have the grit to keep going when the scale wouldn’t budge.
I beat the crap out of myself when I failed, and I didn’t get back up until I put some of those pounds back on, and I made yet ANOTHER New Year’s resolution.
How I actually lost the weight
I finally lost the weight when I realized that I was approaching the whole thing from the wrong perspective.
I didn’t need another resolution.
I needed a plan.
And then I needed discipline.
And then I needed accountability.
In 2021, I didn’t make a New Year’s resolution for weight.
I made a commitment to discipline.
A Year of Discipline, I called it.
Discipline to make a plan.
Discipline to follow through.
To do what I said I was going to do, no matter what.
In EVERY area of my life.
And?? The weight FINALLY came off.
It’s not about weight loss
I didn’t mean for this to be a story about weight loss – it’s about what ACTUALLY works when it comes to creating new things for yourself.
Whether it’s weight loss or exercising more.
Resolutions by themselves don’t help you get what you want.
They’re just meaningless words unless you back them up with actions and CONSISTENCY ALL YEAR.
But turning them into goals with actionable plans and strategies is the secret to reaching them.
Make a plan.
Get things on your calendar.
Learn how to follow through and exercise your discipline muscle.
Get accountability to stay on course.
Learn to get up when you stumble.
Boring, but effective!
These things are soooo BORING and monotonous – but they’re the secret that helped me create all the success I’ve built for myself. In 2021 alone, I lost the weight, left a job of 14 years, started a new career, got certified as a Reiki Master practitioner, and started 2 business. All while caring for 2 young kids and getting plenty of sleep.
If you’re ready to make a change this year, go ahead and make those New Year’s resolutions. And then keep going.
Get accountability.
Make a plan.
Execute it.
Practice discipline and grit and getting back up.
I am cheering for you, friend!!
And if you need help getting there, that’s what life coaches are for! Click HERE for a list of the most amazing people who can get you to your goals.
Hi! I’m Pearl, and I’m the Stop Overwhelm Coach for entrepreneurs. I’m also a Reiki Master practitioner – which means I can improve your time, productivity AND your energy. Who wouldn’t want that?
Book a free discovery session with me here to talk about what you want this year.
That’s me - Pearl! I’m waiting to help you with your goals!
