Making Resolutions Stick

Have you made your New Year Resolution?  To eat healthily, stop smoking, exercise more, make more time for you, finish that DIY…..  Did you make the same one last year?

Making the decision’s the first step – important one – but it needs more.  So how do you make it actually happen?  The first thing to explore is what you really want.  Sounds glib, but when you dig a little, a lot of resolutions fail because they’re something the person ’should’ do rather than really wants to.  So think about these few simple questions – relax, and take as long as you need to explore well

•  What does this resolution give to you or get for you?
•  What’s important about that?
•  What will happen if you don’t achieve your resolution?
•  What will you have to give up to achieve this resolution?  How else can you get that, and still achieve what you want
• How will you know when you have what you really want?

Thinking through your change from these different angles gives it a much better chance of sticking.  There’s a common misconception that change has to be slow or difficult to be real and worthwhile, and this isn’t the case at all.  You learn amazingly quickly – when you were little, you probably didn’t have to touch many hot things before you learned not to do it any more.  And you can harness that same learning capacity to change your habits, boost your motivation – whatever it is that makes you who you really want to be.

Lasting change happens unconsciously, so it doesn’t need willpower or effort:  They key is in getting a clear, consistent message about what you want into your unconscious, your automatic programmes – like setting the mental sat nav.  Unfortunately, most of us don’t know how to do this, which is why so many resolutions don’t make it far past New Year.

Try this simple technique, used by sports stars and top business people alike:

Close your eyes, and take a few moments to breathe slowly and deeply, and relax.  Now, imagine the you that you want to be standing in front of you – the you who’s achieved the resolution.  How does that you look?  How are they standing or moving, how do they sound, what’s the expression on their face?

Imagine walking all the way round that you, fine tuning all the details until it’s exactly as you want it to be – maybe they’re not looking quite radiant (or smug) enough – remember, this you has achieved exactly what you set out to do.  Make any adjustments you need, then when you have it perfect, step into that you.  How does it feel to be standing that way, moving that way, wearing that expression on your face?  Really immerse in all those good feelings, and the immense sense of achievement.

Now turn and look back towards the you of the present time.  From this position of already having had achieved your goal, look back on the steps you took.  We often say that hind sight’s invaluable, so why wait?  Look at the milestones you passed on the way, maybe how you celebrated.  What will make that journey to this new you even easier?  And when you have a good sense of all it means to have achieved your goal, step back out of that you, bringing with you all the experience and good feeling, back into the here and now.

Now, go and be amazing.

www.fastandlastingchange.co.uk

I’m a licensed Master Practitioner and Trainer of NLP – a diverse approach, often compared to having a user manual for your own brain.  I was trained by the co-creator of NLP (who trained Paul McKenna), and by the only three people in the world to whom Paul refers clients.I worked in industry for many years.  I’d never had a coach, and if I’m honest, I couldn’t really see the point.

Now I know the benefits.   This coaching is not therapy or counselling – it’s about skills to make changes, faster and more effectively than you could on your won, so you benefit even sooner.  Top athletes, performers and even entrepreneurs have a coach to support their achievements.We support clients to overcome stress and anxiety, lose weight, stop smoking, manage pain, boost confidence, memory or motivation, and perform at their absolute peak.  To achieve their aspirations, and change for good.

Call me 07582 496565  to learn how it’s done by the world’s best.