With chestnuts roasting on the open fire, and Jack Frost nipping at your nose, the Holiday Season is officially here! The holidays are a time of merriment, joy, family, friends and the one thing that unites us all – food! And after weeks of celebrating at parties, and an abundance of leftovers during the holiday season, most of us are left stuffed and setting New Year’s resolutions to improve our physical well-being, lose weight, exercise more and get rid of a variety of old bad habits.
With the best of intentions we start off strong, dedicated to do anything to achieve the goal we set out to accomplish – regardless of whether it is too ambitious or not. Then, after a few short weeks, motivation fades and in no time at all we are back to our old habits. And, people do not develop self-destructive behaviors because they are weak, but rather these undesirable rituals become habitual over time.
The only way to make life altering changes – for life – is to modify the self-destructive behavior once and for all. So, why do most New Year’s Resolutions fail?
*Procrastination is Key to Failure: The number one reason why most resolutions fail is because we don’t get started right away, or the inability to overcome urges to relax and do something fun instead of working hard. When you don’t set out to achieve a goal immediately, you may be setting yourself up to never start – ever. Not to mention that procrastination is a difficult mode to snap out of, so this will be the first obstacle to overcome when making life altering changes. It’s very simple; the time is Not Now, but Right Now to get started on any type of goal – regardless of the time of year.
*Too Much – Too Soon – Too Late: With the excitement of a new year to come, combined with a burning desire to be the best possible version of yourself, it’s easy to overdue “the brand new you” to do list. The problem with that is – there is a fixed limit on time and energy when it comes to achieving personal goals. If you attempt to achieve too much, too soon, you can’t give individual goals the attention they deserve. Instead, use the “quality, not quantity” rule when setting goals. If you limit the number of goals you’re working on, at one time, you will have the necessary time and energy to do things really well!
*Unwilling to Do the Required Work: If you are a member of the ORGANO™ Global Family, you know that goals are not achieved by wishing and hoping that they become realized. To achieve true success, personally or professionally, you need the strength of mind and body to struggle and work hard to reach your full potential. You will need a positive attitude, self-discipline and the ability to put your goals first if you are truly driven to achieve them. There is, after all no substitute for hard work, and as Henry Ford says, “The harder you work, the luckier you get” – the more successful you get!
*Unable to Accept and Address Failure: No matter how hard you work, you will fail to achieve goals from time to time. We’ve all been there, and it isn’t fun! However, your failures are what ultimately determine your character. They also contain lessons that can change your life for the best, if you have the courage to learn from them. So don’t be too upset if you fail to achieve your goals – just take note of where you went wrong and use that knowledge to reach your goals next time around.
*We Quit Before the Finish Line: As the age old expression goes – slow and steady wins the race. And, by leaving your goals without a time frame in which to achieve them, your motivation can eventually dwindle and you may lose sight of what you are trying to achieve and quit all together. By setting smaller repetitive goals, with a specific time set to achieve them, you are much more likely to meet these little milestones towards achieving your ultimate goal. So, put a time stamp on your goals and make them achievable!
When thinking of your New Year’s resolutions or a health and wellness goal you are trying to achieve, think smart. By setting specific goals with measurable, attainable and realistic results – you will be in a much better position to achieve them. Rather than setting outlandish and hard to reach goals, be realistic when determining what is attainable to set yourself up for success – rather than failure. The bottom line is that there is no quick fix when it comes to making lasting improvements in your life – it requires behavior modification and changing bad habits. Big or small. So ditch the idea of a New Year’s quick fix and start to think about transforming your life – for the rest of your life. #X4life