Happy New Year! Happy Reset!

It is a great time for a reset, especially since most of us are more than happy to put 2020 behind us. And, of course, January is a traditional time to set resolutions, goals or intentions for the year.

As you prepare for ’21, we offer you a few tips to help you create a new habit.

Perhaps you have seen some of the usual tips for setting goals: make your goal inspiring to you and still make sure it’s doable, set clear small steps and celebrate wins, tell others or set shared goals with others (make sure you trust them to follow through).

Here are some extra pointers to ensure your success:

• Believe. Make sure your beliefs line up with your goals. If you don’t trust yourself or believe you will follow through, you need to work on this first. To rebuild trust with yourself, start with a small goal that you know you can accomplish. Follow through; don’t allow yourself to stray. Once that has become a habit, then set a little bigger goal and follow through. As you continue to do this, it helps you build a positive track record with yourself and restore self-trust, self-belief and self-discipline.
• Create space. Decide what you will remove from your life if you are going to START doing something new. Want to exercise more? When will you do that and what will you promise not to do in that time? E.g., If 6 pm is exercise time, then maybe you need to stop working and put down all devices by 5:45 to get ready and don’t plan anything else until 7pm. Make it a sacred, unmoveable commitment in your day.
• Create healthy substitutes. If your goal is to STOP doing something, decide what you will do instead (at least in the short term), especially when you body is expecting the usual? If you want to stop eating sugar, drinking alcohol, or spending time on social media, you may need to find some other kind of ‘reward’ to replace it with. Maybe that is call with a friend, exercise or a more healthy ‘treat’ like fizzy water with a splash of juice.
• Stay focused. Remind yourself frequently (several times per day at first) about the new goal. You are trying to rewire a new habit into your brain, letting yourself unconsciously follow old, contradictory, habits will defeat your purpose. You might also need to remind others about this new goal as well so they will stop assuming you will keep doing things the old way.

Why are conspiracy theories so seductive?Celebrate and rejuvenate