January 4
Checking in to see how your 2022 is going so far? Did you make any New Year’s resolutions this year?
If yes, how are you doing with your resolution? If you are on track, a big congratulations to YOU!
Whatever you are doing, keep going and keep believing in yourself (that’s key).
If you didn’t make any resolutions, good for you too! I’m here to remind you that it’s OKAY.
With every new year, we plan with good intentions. There’s something about the calendar changing that triggers a clean start in the brain and sparks a little or a lot of motivation for change.
How many times have you said or heard, “Once the holidays are over, I am going to FINALLY lose those twenty pounds?
Or take control of my finances?
Or quit drinking alcohol?
Or start something new – a hobby, routine, meditation, workout, learn a new language?
The New Year is a time to hit the reset button and evaluate what we want to accomplish and do.
Rather than focus on a resolution, why not create something that you want from a place of purpose, passion, and joy?
So why am I nixing making resolutions?
The definition of a resolution is the act or process of resolving.
To me, that sounds like a complete buzzkill, and in my mind, deters me from moving forward.
Instead of looking at fixing or resolving something about yourself or your life, how about focusing on this question. “What do I want, and why do I want it?” If you want to make a change or improvement, the desire to change has to be greater than the desire to stay where you are at.
This desire runs deeper than what you are currently thinking and may believe in at this moment.
We also fall short on our resolutions and give up before 1/12th of the year is completed.
98% of the population that declares a resolution ends up quitting because of several factors.
We set lofty goals that seem achievable in the moment.
I am going to lose twenty pounds, go to the gym five times a week, eliminate all carbs, sugar, dairy, and red meat, practice the guitar every day, read to my kids every single night, and journal every morning.
The first day, we sprint out of the gate slaying our goal feeling really good about it. As time passes, we lose momentum and realize the restriction is suffocating our life and what we really want to have.
Or how about taking control of your finances and saving every penny? This thought typically happens after opening your credit card bill during the pinnacle of the holiday season. What I refer to as the shopping hangover.
Another factor is that we didn’t set ourselves up for success. Do we have a system in place that supports our goal? Do we have support or a partner to check in with and hold us accountable for our commitments?
How about time in the day to work on what you want?
If you made a resolution this year, is it in response to behaviors that are not in alignment with what you truly want? Do you want to lose 20 pounds because you think you will be ‘happier’? Or would you be happy with tweaking your nutrition and changing a few pesky habits, and feel good about yourself, your energy, and your body?
Instead of resolving something that you don’t like, try focusing on what you want and look at the why beneath what you want.
You can try this for a moment – how about accentuating the positives in your life instead of dwelling on what you don’t have?
What are you grateful for? Can you enhance something that you are drawn too? Are the actions or routines you are doing serving you and sparking joy, peace, creativity – or whatever you are seeking?
In my professional and personal practice, setting goals and intentions is paramount, and I am a big proponent of goal setting. However, if it feels overwhelming to set a goal right now, try asking yourself, what is it I want in this moment?
What do I want a week from now, a month, three months?
Remember the objective is to start small. A pillar in my coaching practice and my Life Coach Certification is, Small Hinges Swing Big Doors.
Take some time to quiet your mind and listen carefully. You may surprise yourself with what comes up for you. From this place, you can start thinking about a plan, thinking deliberately, and taking action, no matter how big or small the step is, because you are exactly where you need to be.
If you need a little structure in setting yourself up for success and focusing on taking action, download my free Daily Focus Guide here. Stop overthinking, procrastinating, and start focusing on what you can accomplish because energy flows where attention goes!
What is it that you want? Go ahead and start visualizing what you want…. write it down and start thinking about what it’s like to have it right now! If you are ready to create what you want this 2022, I’d love to help you set the mental and energetic space that will have you achieving everything you want without the hustle and white-knuckle willpower approach. Get the results you deserve from a place of focus, clarity, and abundance.  Let’s get started today!
Here’s to Living on Purpose in 2022,
Alexis