Start here. Start now. Three steps to making EVERY day resolutions stick.
It is a new year and people are enthusiastically setting up their New Year's resolutions and agendas (or you may have already broken them!).
People see the start of the new year as a perfect time to begin new habits, embark on that new career path, or just start something new in their lives.
People see this time as an opportunity for CHANGE.
And that is what makes it so hard for so many people to do.
Here are the three steps to making EVERY day resolutions stick:
EMBRACING CHANGE
Change is never easy.
People oftentimes unconsciously think that setting up new year's resolutions means things are just going to stay as they are. That expectation is far from the truth.
If you are seeking to create new habits or embark on a new journey, you must be mentally prepared for the changes that will be coming your way.
You may not like those changes initially. You might even detest them and feel agitated by them.
1) Stick through them. Embrace the new expectations that come your way and try to see the positive effects those changes are making in your life. Make a list to give you encouragement.
2) Find an accountability buddy. There is nothing better than having someone you can talk to about your goals, supports you during the hard times, and celebrates your kudos.
3) Laugh it out. Learn from your mistakes and move on. Life's short, man, keep going.
SETTING A LIST OF PRIORITIES (based on your actions, NOT a list)
What really matters to you?
You might already be making a list of priorities and writing them down very descriptively and thoroughly, but that is just a list.
If you were to describe your daily routine, your daily thoughts, your daily actions, what would your priorities actually be?
Those are your ACTUAL priorities right now - NOT the stuff that you write down.
Whatever actions you make daily, whatever routine you already have set up, whatever your daily thoughts might be, THOSE priorities are what are currently consuming your time and shaping the person you are becoming (unconsciously or consciously).
So, if you don't like your current priorities, how (and when) will you start transforming them?
Always strive to align your daily actions and thoughts - YOUR PRIORITIES - in ways that will propel you to become the person you were meant to be.
And if this is hard, remember step #1 (EMBRACING CHANGE). There's going to be blood, sweat, and tears. In spite of all that, remember to keep going.
NOT TAKING IT PERSONALLY
And most importantly, don't take it personally.
People are not always going to understand your journey.
People might even envy your progress and spirit.
People are not always going to support you.
People might even say you don't have it in you to succeed.
It's okay. Keep embracing the changes in your life. Keep prioritizing your journey's tasks. Keep going in spite of the struggle.
And keep loving those around you. Only love will help you succeed. Keep a courageous spirit while at the same time seeking to be humble and compassionate.
Be the example you want to follow.
And if you get tired, learn to rest but never to quit.
---------
Aristotle once said that "the beginning seems to be more than half of the whole".
You don't need a New Year to start your journey or new habit. Start here. Start now.
The beginning is always the hardest part. The beginning is what is going to separate you from the rest.
Trust the process. Live the commitment.