Happy New Year! I hope your new year’s resolutions are off to a successful start. I mean it is only Tuesday….
As I highlighted in a post on social media this weekend, I’m not a big fan of all the hate New Year’s resolutions have been getting over the last couple of years. So much negativity towards an overall very positive thing: folks committing to improving themselves.
The problem is that many New Year’s resolutions do not make it very far into the new year. In fact, only 36% of resolutioners are expected to make it to February!
I think a big reason for the low success rate is that people are so motivated to make a big change in the new year that they commit to major lifestyle changes that are such a shock to their bodies and daily routines that they become unsustainable. Another big reason for the low success rate is misguided expectations about how rapidly we should be seeing health improvements leading to discouragement and an eventual “what’s the point” attitude.
I think a little mindset shift could go a long way in improving the success rate of our resolutions. Instead of expecting to look like a supermodel by February, maybe we should shoot for losing 1-2 pounds per week and sustaining that until summer and then see how far we’ve come. Instead of expecting to be debt free by February, maybe we aim to get our highest-interest credit card paid down before the end of the month. Maybe instead of eating 500 calories per day to lose weight faster, we aim for a 200 calorie deficit and not have to be so hungry that we are one stressful situation away from binge eating the whole pantry (clean it out just to be safe).
I think being a little more realistic with our goals and expectations can set us up for much longer-term success. I also think it puts us in the mindset of getting better. Continuing to grow and stack up our wins so that by the end of the year we can’t believe how far we have come and how grateful we are that we stuck with the plan.
It’s about getting 1% better. Can you do that every day? Can you lift 5 more pounds or do 2 more reps at the gym? Can you walk for 5 more minutes? Can you say no to that craving for ice cream this one day only? Can you spend 20 minutes meditating or reading a book? Can you say no to the urge to go shopping on your way home from work? etc. etc
I’ve written about the concept of doing the next right thing in the past. Here, a similar concept applies. If you can focus on doing the next right thing and doing the little things well, then you can make this year’s New Year’s resolution the one that finally changes your life forever.
Thanks for reading,
Chris Irvin
P.S. My favorite keto company Perfect Keto is running some awesome deals right now including up to 40% off site-wide and bonus items with every purchase! I know a lot of my followers are doing keto in the new year, so I highly recommend checking out the Daily Electrolytes. I formulated this product to be exactly what we need on a keto diet! The Keto Bars are also incredible, and they have passed all of my blood sugar tests to date!