Did you wake up on New Years Day feeling like a new person, like something had changed and you were on the cusp of achieving all of your new year’s resolutions? I didn’t. I woke up feeling tired. And I felt like the same person as on December 31.
The fact is, I still am the same person with the same history and the same ingrained habits (good and not so good) as I was in 2017. Guess what? Nothing magical happened on January 1, 2018 where everything became easier, good habits magically formed, and all the motivation lost previously was found. However, there is still hope.
Do you want 2018 to be the best year ever, one where you are living in harmony with what is most important to you? One where you finally achieve your new years resolutions?
This is where the rubber meets the road, my friends.
You must commit to action. No more thinking, planning, reflecting, re-planning, wheels spinning. The only way anything in life gets done is through action. Have you ever stopped to think that we behave our way through life from birth to death? One’s life is a series of choices that either takes us toward what is important to us or away from what is important to us. Are you making “towards” moves or “away” moves? Medical practitioner and psychotherapist Russ Harris calls this the “Choice Point”. This little video captures the concept:
How can you implement “towards” moves in your life? Here is a simple, three-step recipe:
- Keep your values, your “why”, at the top of your mind, preferably written down in a prominent place. ( For more on values, including how to figure out what your values are, click here).
2. Take action, small and slow.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2.
Do not complicate your new year. Do not assume just because it is the New Year that you are more: powerful, disciplined, committed, or motivated. Put your head down and act. Just act. Accumulate more “towards” moves than “away” moves. Small and slow.
Until next time,
Counselling Services in Langford, Colwood, Metchosin, and Greater Victoria