That which is set in motion stays in motion...Now if it was only that easy.
Let's face it the first steps to to taking action are the hardest. Any change to our normal routine can throw us in to an uncomfortable situation. Even thinking about taking action causes an irritable reactions in most. Yet the human body thrives on changing it's comfortable routines through the experience of being challenged. I guess that's why they call them growing pains. So let's look at some creative ways to challenge ourselves in order to initiate change. Especially since it's time to prepare for the changing of the seasons and transition in to a new year.
A New Year's resolution is a commitment that an individual makes to a project or the reforming of a habit, often a lifestyle change that is generally interpreted as advantageous. The name comes from the fact that these commitments normally go into effect on New Year's Day and remain until fulfilled or abandoned. (Defined by Wikipedia)
First off let's just go ahead and give up on the classic "New Years resolution". I have witnessed more than my fair share of motivated people boldly look deep in to my eyes and profess "This is my year...." A study recently conducted showed that 52% of the participants were confident in making changes with their resolution yet only 12% actually made changes and achieved their goal. Seems like small numbers on both sides of the coin. Why did these participants lack so much confidence in their ability? The question alone allows us to ask more questions in order to properly examine the very act of setting goals. Is the goal truly attainable? In other words is it truly possible to achieve that particular goal in the time frame expectation? For example weight loss seems to be a very popular goal that people routinely set for themselves. Popular responses like 10lbs to 20lbs roll off the tongue so casually. Great! But, wait how much is 10lbs, How much is 20lbs? That seems like a lot of weight considering there are 3500 calories in a pound.
Daily calorie consumption recommendations from the USDA are as follows:
- Seniors - 1,600 calories per day
- Children - 1,600 calories per day
- Inactive women - 1,600 calories per day
- Inactive men - 2,200 calories per day
Lets not get carried away with numbers, trust me you'll spin your self in to a frenzy just trying to calculate each bite that passes your lips. My objective is to promote attainable goals. Yes you would look and feel a lot better if you lost that extra weight but concerning your self with the numbers day in and day out can break down even the strongest of wills. So what is the key to setting attainable goals? One of the first things we need to do is focus on making small changes. The phrase "Rome wasn't created in a day" comes to mind. Yes we want to achieve the goal as soon as possible but how we get there is the key. It all starts by focusing on the way we talk to ourselves. Our thought process can make or break us before we even set the goal. Remember just over half the people who made New Years resolutions actually felt confident about making the resolution. That means that 48% of the people studied set a goal they knew they could not accomplish. If they had confidence in the goal they set it might have increased the potential for success. Then why did only 12% actually achieve their goal? I believe it was their thought process and plan of action. Simply put they believed in their ability to accomplish the goal and formed a plan of small goals in order to stay focused on the bigger goal.
