It’s January 31, 2024, so I thought I’d check in to see how the month went for you.
Has it gone the way you hoped?
Are you continuing the new habit you started 4 weeks ago?
Statically speaking, you likely have already given up on that very thing that was going to change everything. This year was going to be different. This was going to be the year that you didn’t just start something, but you were going to continue it.
But this year is looking a lot like last year. Lots of enthusiasm followed up with inconsistent to non-existent effort.
And without warning, your new habit is in the rearview mirror.
It happens…and it’s happened to me. But this one thing…this simple idea, can make the difference between starting and stopping and starting and following through.
If you want to reach a new goal, you must come up with a process you like.
Years ago, my wife Kathy convinced me to eat broccoli for a week with the hopes that I would eventually do so on a regular basis. She used motivation like it was going to help me feel better and I’m pretty sure she suggested it might improve our sex life.
Okay, she had my attention 🙂 So I gave it a shot.
Day 1…uugghh
Day 2…uugghh
Day 3…uugghh
There was no day 4. I couldn’t make the week; I hated it…and I still do.
I think broccoli is disgusting and there was no way I was going to make a habit of eating it…at all.
But many people try to accomplish a goal, like getting in better health by eating broccoli (doing something they hate for the hope of a positive result).
But it just doesn’t work…not for very long anyway.
Instead, choose habits you enjoy and can look forward to. If you hate running, don’t run. Walk, or skip rope or ride a bike or play a sport you enjoy. I hear pickle ball is all the rage. Do that!
Just do something you enjoy and you will stick to it, long after the initial high of starting to pursue a new goal has passed.
I’ve been working out regularly for about a year…nothing crazy, but it’s made up of habits I enjoy and even look forward to.
Monday to Friday I start the day with a glass of water, black coffee and a 45-60 minute workout using dumbbells and a bench. I don’t go to a gym, in part because the closest is about 30 minutes away, and I know I won’t do that for long. After I hit the weights weights I drink a protein shake…which I like. It tastes good to me…nothing weird and certainly no broccoli.
I change up the exercises, weight, reps and sets from time to time, but essentially I’ve established some daily habits that work for me.
Kathy and I have also taken up walking which is new for me too. I enjoy walking but I never saw it as a fitness thing but rather a relaxing thing. We do a 6km loop when we have time or a shorter 30 minute walk through our small town.
We do this 3 or 4 times a week because we enjoy it. Even in winter (which I don’t enjoy) with proper gear we head outside. And you know what? We look forward to it; even plan for it.
Sure there is the odd day we’d rather stay in or I don’t have as much energy for a morning workout, but generally, I look forward to these activities…because I enjoy them.
I’m not suggesting you should copy my routines at all. Just hoping that you will implement regular, daily habits that you enjoy and that move you closer to your goal…whatever it is.
If you want to improve almost any area of your life, it begins with daily habits…habits you enjoy and look forward to. This will give you a much better chance of success!
Q. What are one or two habits you can perform on a daily basis? Not just for a week or a month, but next month, and the month after that, and the month after that?
Okay, start there!
Feeling stuck? Not sure what to do next? Your life not where you want it to be? Life coaching can help. Contact me for a free 45-minute discovery call.
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