Ever wonder why some people stay on track while others fall by the wayside mid-January?
The simple answer is timing!
People who are willing to make a life changing decision, don’t wait until January 1st. They do so when they’re ready and take action when they feel compelled to.
The Problem with New Year’s Resolutions:
No-one seriously expects to follow through and there’s zero accountability. Many are made in earnest and may genuinely involve a deep desire for change: to lose fat, give up smoking, get fitter and have a better quality of life.
Two weeks later, everyone is nursing metaphoric bruises from falling off all those wagons. It’s okay because you’re not alone, and isn’t it more convenient being just like everybody else?
The Big Issue with Conformity:
Conformity provides a measure of safety. It’s easier to follow the herd and stay within your comfort-zone than to be an outlier. Goodness knows what it would be like to actually stick to this year’s resolution and make the transformation you’ve been dreaming of.
How on earth would you fit within your social group if you were the only one to go the distance?
The problem with doing what’s expected is that it doesn’t encourage positivity. You see, every journey is an individual process. It must be this way in order to by-pass group-think and find a personal path to success.
The Endless Cycle of Failure:
When the majority of people abandon their resolutions, it creates an environment where it’s perfectly fine and acceptable to do so. It becomes the norm.
Hey it’s okay, don’t worry, there’s always next year. And here, let’s polish off the left-over Xmas chocolate!
From a psychological perspective: if you’re not aware of other people achieving success, the assumption is that it’s not possible. I mean, why would you be any different?
Breaking this cycle requires a departure from the roller-coaster of hope & disappointment by actually doing something different.
Why It’s Right to Be the Odd One Out:
This one’s easy:
Because, what the majority of people are doing, is not working!
In a nutshell, the first step in breaking any self-limiting habit or behaviour is to stop doing what you’ve always done. In this case, putting off your fresh start until the New Year.
You may well be stepping into uncharted waters. But, isn’t that the whole point? Long-term sustainability will absolutely depend upon finding new behaviours and habits that better serve you.
How to Make this Year’s Resolution Stick:
I’ll tell you exactly when I know a client is going to achieve an amazing transformation:
They commit and go all-in. They do not put things off.
This is why I love enrolling clients on my 12 Week Transformation towards the back end of the year: they open with a statement by making their Resolutions in December and taking immediate action.
This is hugely significant, because a part of their journey will now involve navigating the full Christmas and New Year period in all its sugar and alcohol-drenched glory.
If I remember correctly, there was Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh: I don’t recall there being any chocolate!
Making your resolution in December, automatically removes you from the equation, mid-January, when everyone else is faltering and/or falling flat.
Imagine the amazing alternative; being several weeks into your journey, having maintained or even lost weight at a time when you’d usually be packing on the pounds.
What Kind of Person Makes their Resolution in December?
The kind that succeeds!
The kind that’s fed-up of not getting what they want and is willing to do what’s necessary.
This type of approach isn’t for everyone. Many aren’t ready for change right now, and don’t believe that it’s possible to navigate the entire holiday period without putting on a single pound.
But if you’re not afraid to be different. Or perhaps you are afraid but think “F**k it!” and do it anyway, because something has to change. Then you are already on a fast-track to success.
This is especially powerful if you tend to make the same resolution each year; many people do.
If you can be the type of person who makes a Resolution in December, then you are definitely a person who keeps it and reaps the reward!
Read More:
12-Week Transformation Program
