Progress Report-New Year’s Resolutions

How are those New Year Resolutions starting off for you?

The return of the usual routines, habits and often enforced stress.

You might have decided to embark on a resolution to help create a new habit or to improve yourself. How is that working for you? Are you beginning to see cracks appearing in your plan? is the support you were hoping for disappearing? Do you feel pressure if you fail or don’t succeed?

It need not be this way. Stop. Breathe. Be present for a moment. Rethink and revisit the reasons why you wanted to embark on the,=m to begin with. Whilst we may not have control of these pressures happening around us, we can choose how we respond to them.

When we get these anniversary moments in the calendar, it is easy to focus on the dread and the routine that goes with it. Perhaps it would be worthwhile to make some sort of progress based resolution at this time  instead of seeing it in this traditional negative way and giving up. We often pile our good intentions into the darkest months of the year when ideally, we should be identifying the good stuff we have already achieved and giving ourselves a supporting pat on the back.

So how about this for a plan? The kids have gone back to school. New friends, new classes, new teachers. Brilliant. What do you want for yourself that perhaps you didn’t have before? Would you like to learn a new skill? Have more time for yourself? Perhaps it is something more specific like maybe losing a bit of that holiday weight, or changing something in your life that has previous brought you down. Even more drastic might be to rethink relationships, friendships or even work status.

With this new year kicking off, what could you think of, as a great resolution to set your sights on? What could you really achieve? You know it is possible, it is just about changing the game. January 1st is almost behind us, so how about accelerating that which you might have been putting off, or getting started with, to right now.

Here are some examples:

Be aware of the things in your life that you have no control over, stop worrying about them, learn to say three little words ‘it doesn’t matter’. You might be surprised how letting go can give you more of a sense of control, and the freedom to move forward.

Look at yourself in the mirror. Do you like what you see? If yes then say, “What can I make even better?” if you are not happy, and it might be something physical like appearance, dress sense or weight and it could also be a mental thing too. When you look into your own eyes do you see something there that is reaching back, asking to be nurtured. Look hard. Be honest.

Think of three people you have not been in touch with for sometime who for one reason or another you simply have not had the time to see. Find their number, pick up the phone.
Look at the people in your life who bring you down, criticise you, and generally make you feel less than you are. Why do you give these people the permission or the assumption that they have the permission to do this to you? If you can move on from them do so, you are not just better off without them, but actually a better person without them. If they are not so easily distanced from, then choose to have an honest chat. Simply say “when you say/do something like that, you erode my confidence, I am sure you don’t mean to or are unaware of this, but you do, please don’t.” You will notice I did not say ‘you make me feel’ no one can make you feel anything, you choose to feel that way as a result of what someone does or says, there is a difference. You control the choices presented to you.

Simpler, but often equally dramatic changes can be to little things like reducing sugar, paying a little more into a savings plan, or spending just five minutes a day doing simply nothing can have tremendous effects. These smaller changes work in the same way as the phrase ‘look after the pennies and the pounds take care of themselves’ . Make some small changes.

How about recognising the things that you are already good at? How can you become even better? Become your own apprentice with you being the instructor. Teach yourself to be stronger, faster, tougher, more considered, brighter, more energised. Anything you want. You have already become good at it, now choose to become better. Make small changes that impact people around you so that you feel yourself changing, enhancing and growing. Examples include always be conscious of putting a smile on your face when you walk into a room full of people, even if you are shy and nervous, watch the response and the energy rise around you, You could learn to ask more questions in conversations, be more inquisitive, people love to talk about themselves, especially when asked the magic “Why?” or “Why is that important to you.” type questions.

Try getting up thirty minutes earlier, yes it is dark but so what?, use that time just for you, even it is just sat in your home with coffee or tea. See your own early morning as a special time, just for you.

All too often as we hurtle through this time of year, things seem to speed up and catch us unawares. Don’t let it. As Anne Bancroft said in the movie The Assassin “I never did mind about the little things.” Do not worry about all those little things, let them pass. Winter will come and go, stop and enjoy what is happening right now, don’t fret about the kids getting up and getting ready on time, they will. Take this time to be a little self indulgent, create, reenergise and rethink something that can benefit you and you alone.

Happy new year to you, enjoy it.

This blog forms part of my Journey Away from Stress programme. If you would like some help one to one or need some stress management training in your business then get in touch with me simon@serialtrainer7.com.