On this week’s episode of the podcast, we chatted with lifestyle coach, Deniz Sehovic, about sticking to those New Year’s Resolutions. At this point in the year, the majority of us have completely given up but that doesn’t mean we can’t start over again. The truth is, you can make a change at ANY time in your life — you can start these new habits at ANY time in the year, it doesn’t necessarily have to be in the New Year!
To listen to the podcast episode we recorded with Deniz, click HERE.
Did you know: 92% of people FAIL at keeping their New Years Resolutions? In fact, by January 15th (a day before this went live) – 90% of them have already fallen through the cracks! Here are five sure-fire ways to take your 2019 goals from an empty and often anxiety-ridden yearly promise to a reliable daily habit that can shift the course of your life in transformative ways… #goals.
1. Put pen to paper (OR fingers to keyboard)…
It sounds simple – but common knowledge is rarely common practice. People who write down their goals are already 50% more likely to achieve them versus those who don’t. That’s a tiny bit of effort to get you halfway there – just remember to keep your goals close so you can be inspired by them on the daily.
REAL WORLD: Have you ever tried going to the supermarket without a shopping list? The result is typically wasted time (*stands in granola aisle for five minutes*), money (3-for-1 Cheeto’s were definitely NOT accounted for…) and additional stress to an already dreaded experience (ugh). Thank you, next (on the list).
Pro-tip: Use the background of your phone or desktop to save your resolution, so you can be reminded of it throughout the day!
2. ‘It’s too big.’
If we set a goal that’s massive, go at it with full-force… and fail miserably – then a lot of us will give up out of sheer disappointment – *womp womp*. But as humans, failure is inevitable! We don’t tell babies that they’re ‘not meant to walk’, even though they stumble for weeks trying to get on their little feet – so why don’t we treat our adult selves with the same kind of empathy? Splitting your larger goals into smaller, more doable ‘baby-steps’, ensures a more realistic and reliable path to success.
REAL WORLD: It’s your first day at the gym in three years, and you pick up a 40 lb dumbbell to do bicep curls with… #lolz. Typically, one of two things will happen: you’ll either feel weak and give up after just a few reps OR injure yourself from bad form! Next time, try going for a 10 lb-er to start – a much more reasonable beginner’s alternative that can help you gain confidence in your strength, grow that baby-bicep and prevent a trip to the ER. You’ll get to the ‘big guys’ eventually – as you gradually add on heavier weights over time – but for now, we curl (slowly).
REMEMBER – goals are no good unless you can chunk them down into daily, weekly and monthly to-do’s. Check these off of a list like the Reminders app and actually track your progress – more often than not, that’s the missing link.
3. ‘Wishing’ bad habits away won’t do sh*t…
James Clear, a ‘Habit Development’ expert – shares his theory of treating habits like ENERGY – you can’t create or destroy it, but you can move energy around. Instead of just ‘quitting’ a bad habit cold-turkey (good luck), your efforts will be much more effective if you replace negative tendencies with positive alternatives.
REAL WORLD: If you’re a person who likes to snack throughout the day (*raises hand*) – put a bowl of fruit on the closest kitchen counter and hide that jar of Nutella in the way back of your highest cabinet… way harder to reach, right? Next time the munchies hit, grabbing an apple will take a lot less effort than scrounging for a step-stool and you’ll be more likely to pick the easier (and conveniently healthier) option out of sheer convenience – HA HA!
The truth here is that most of us are lazy. Our natural tendency is to go the easier route – so our goal is to take advantage of this #reality and put as many steps between you and the ‘bad’ habit – while placing as little steps between you and the ‘good’ habit – as humanely possible.
4. #WINNING… + failing.
If you’re constantly working – but never celebrating the little wins in your progress – whatever goals you make won’t be sustainable because you’ll get B-O-R-E-D in the process! Additionally, we all have old roadblocks that can get in the way of our new resolutions. Identifying those issues early on and planning proactively on how to troubleshoot them, will ensure that you have a plan of attack when they inevitably try to veer you off course.
REAL WORLD: If you miss an evening training session because your meeting ran late – set your alarm 1 hour earlier the next morning in order to prioritize yourself and get your workout done before the day begins. Then, reward yourself afterwards with your favorite healthybeverage (Starbucks skim?) as a mini-win! This will prevent you from slipping into what I call the ‘excuse-snowball’, and falling off the band-wagon when things don’t go according to plan.
“During your weekly review of your goals, don’t forget to celebrate your wins for the week — even if they are small. Celebrate every single one of them. This will help you build momentum towards achieving your goal. Feeling good about your progress will allow you to carry this positive feeling into the next week.” – James Clear (Speaker / Habits Expert)
5. Do it for the ‘gram!
Studies by Gail Matthews at Dominican University have proven time and time again that strategies for effective goal achievement include: ‘writing goals down, sharing goals and providing confides with one’s progress updates’ – *cue* #SOCIAL MEDIA!
EXAMPLE: Start an Instagram profile to share your newfound fitness journey by connecting with folks who are on the same path. If you want a bit more privacy, joining an online boot camp like the FitFluence is perfect! You get the support of women going through the same struggles/ triumphs, sharing their own progress / set-backs (*hides bag of Lay’s potato chips*) in a positive space where you can keep each other accountable – the missing key for most of us.
At the end of the day, HABITS are 100% in OUR control! We can change anything that isn’t allowing us to live life to the absolute fullest – as the most authentic, healthier & happiest YOU. If you need support, guidance or a kick in rear – never hesitate to connect, my inbox is alwaysopen: info@denizsehovic.com OR @denizsehovic.
RESOURCES:
Ken Cheo Boston Business Journal
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