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You’re starting a new year and thinking RESOLUTIONS. Now you can wipe the slate of debauchery and excuses and make a pact with yourself to commit.

You know the drill… “I’ll start to exercise, I’ll cut back drinking or eating so much, I’ll meditate, I’ll take that class, I’ll go on a budget”… blah blah blah.

You have the best intentions to become that better version of yourself this year.

Internally you know what you “should” do. So why is it that you can’t stick with it? As the month’s tick by you get distracted and… “oh well”.  What is that?

Developing new habits isn’t easy. It takes will power and discipline and once temptation is in front of us we negotiate or make excuses. Then we beat ourselves up for our lack of willpower.

But the lack of willpower is in our brains. Our brains are wired for the path of least resistance.  Those long established neuro-networks are hard to overcome. When we are trying to break habits we are actually trying to fight brain processes. That’s why it is better to establish new patterns than trying to stop old ones. You must instill new habits to create new circuitry in the brain.

New habits create new brain circuitry. It is said that a habit takes around 21-28 days to establish. On further research I’ve found that it takes upward of over 60 days to develop a new habit. If you can stick with the new behavior it gets easier and momentum is established creating new circuitry. (Getting over the hump is the hardest – shoot for 60-day commitment).

In my coaching work I have found that people generally try and change too much all at once.  They become overwhelmed with unrealistic and unachievable goals. The amount of brain power to rewire can be too much for most people. That’s why less is more.

My suggestions to achieving change and realistic goals in the New Year?

Write down 3 of your top goals for the year. 

• Pick your top priority and make that one non-negotiable.

• Write out how many times a day, a week, or month you can easily commit for your goal. Example: 1 hour 3 times a week. 10 minutes daily, once a week. Be realistic!

• Write out the time you have in a day for everything. Let’s say you have to work 8 hours, sleep 7 hours, travel time, chores, eating, etc. Then see what’s left and how much time you have left for your goal. You must look at where your time is spent!

The most important thing to remember is to not beat yourself up if you fall off the schedule.

One of the most proven methods for achieving goals is being accountable. If you have a trainer, a coach, or a buddy who will keep you accountable your success is almost guaranteed.

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