Happy New Year! Happy New You, right?
Before we start changing everything to prepare for a new & improved you, would you mind if we celebrate just how far you’ve come in the last year? Yes?
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about your growth this last year?... I know. You may be tempted to list the challenges or things that didn’t happen. But what if you first shined the light on what you did, even if it was just a baby step? I bet there’s something cool you completed that can count as a win.
Perhaps you wanted to learn something new, revisit an old hobby, or change something about yourself. Even though it didn’t exactly happen the way you envisioned, maybe you started a list, did some research, or even invested in something toward a bigger goal. That first step is ABSOLUTELY something to celebrate. And it’s just the beginning of helping you stick to your resolutions.
As a professional health coach, I’ve noticed a few themes when helping clients transform their lives. And if you don’t mind, I’d love to share them here…
#1 Celebrate!
Since motivation comes in waves, why not spark a new wave of motivation by celebrating where you are now? What’s your most recent baby step? The mere fact you’re reading this is something to celebrate. You care enough about yourself to explore how to grow with these valued tips. What else can you celebrate about yourself?
Success inspires more success, and baby steps add up to leaps and bounds. Once you acknowledge even just the littlest step forward, more success will follow. As Mother Theresa said, “Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies”.
When I first started coaching, I noticed my clients would beat themselves up during weekly check-ins, stating something like, “I didn’t change my diet like I wanted to.” But when we took time to explore any new changes, we discovered they indeed took steps towards their goal, like packing their lunch for one day, researching a new recipe, or avoiding a second helping.
That which is acknowledged becomes real. Once my clients recognized a baby step as something to celebrate, there was a spark behind their eyes. They identified with making the change. They acknowledged they had strength in small things. And I love seeing that in my clients. Once this happens, they’re ready for more. And soon, they become the change they want.
#2 Baby Steps!
One of the main reasons new year’s resolutions usually fall flat is because the goal is too big. For someone who tells me their new goal is to walk 30 minutes daily, I’d want to know how many minutes and days they’re currently walking. If the answer is zero minutes and zero days, we might want to scale back to something more achievable.
It’s not that I don’t believe in someone with such an enthusiastic goal. It’s just that I want to support them in something more realistic and, of course, help them to avoid painful setbacks. You know! Hurting themselves by overdoing it. Trust me. It happens. When I was working in gyms, I saw it EVERY January.
Now that you know what you want to change, break it down into what you feel are achievable baby steps. At the same time, challenge yourself. Your sweet spot is going to be different from your friends and family. Finding the balance is about experimenting. This leads us to our next tip.
#3 Trial and Try Again!
You’ve heard of “Trial and Error”, but what about “Trial and Try Again”? Instead of thinking of failed attempts as errors and then giving up, which most of us tend to do - what if instead you reevaluated and adjusted before trying again? If you keep banging your head against the wall, you will only get a headache.
It’s good to take a step back and reevaluate periodically. And when you see the plan isn’t working, don’t wallow in its failure - examine what got in the way, identify the resistance and the underlying belief behind it, and how you can tap into your strength to overcome the challenge next time.
Say you wanted to add more breaks in your work day but can’t seem to get away from those back-to-back meetings. What’s possible? How about we brainstorm? Perhaps… talk to your team about eliminating the number of meetings or ending the meetings five minutes early? What if you took a meeting while walking or doing another activity away from your desk? Would some of the material be better suited in a document?
Okay! You’ve finalized a plan, but you're still not getting away from your desk. What then? Take a look at what happened without judgment. Just look at the facts and recognize the pattern. What do you need to do to make sure you take the deserved break? It could be something as simple as going outside with the dog every 2 hours. He gets his potty break. Both of you get fresh air. And you get your break! Don’t have a dog? Check out the next tip…
#4 Reconnect With Your WHY!
What do you want? … No, really! What is it you truly want for yourself - not for anyone else? If you want to lose weight for your partner, for example, we may need to have a different conversation. This is about YOU.
If you want to lose weight for yourself, how will the weight loss benefit you? Think more deeply than vanity reasons. What’s really motivating you to lose weight? Get specific. One of my clients said that he'd like to lose weight so his belly didn’t get wet while standing under an umbrella.
Once you know your WHY, how will you remind yourself of it every day? Think of your five senses. Is there something that will stimulate your sight with a Post-it; your hearing with a favorite song; or maybe you prefer feeling prayer beads between your fingers? Whatever it is, find something that makes you feel good. If it makes you feel guilty, pick something else. Remember, success inspires more success.
#5 Make A Sandwich!
When adding a new habit, I challenge my clients to attach it to something they already do. It’s called sandwiching, or stacking behaviors.
Maybe you want to start a nightly stretching routine to help you sleep, perhaps you add it AFTER brushing your teeth and BEFORE changing into your pajamas. Once you have your plan, think about what’s going to remind you to stack this new habit into your nightly “sandwich”.
Try to add one layer to your sandwich at a time, otherwise it can get messy.
#6 Work With A Health Coach
Sure you know what to do. But it’s not always easy to make those changes, or recognize the pattern or belief that’s getting in the way. Am I right? Even health coaches hire health coaches. It’s empowering to talk through your plan with an expert in behavior change, plus it’s good to have an “accountabili-buddy”.
The right health coach can help you envision possibilities, overcome obstacles, and challenge you to grow. A professional health coach with the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching credential represents training, education, and assessment standards.
Congratulations on and thank you for reading this article! You can chalk that up as your first win! Whether you’re making plans for the new year or changing a habit any time of the year, I hope you find at least one of these tips helpful for your resolution journey.
And may you have the happiest of happy new years. Be well!