Resolution Fatigue
Raise your hand if you’re tired of making — and then breaking — your New Year’s Resolutions!
I get it.
Resolution fatigue comes from years of setting — and then forgetting — what we resolve to do at the beginning of each new year.
Despite our best intentions, keeping resolutions, (past January), can be a herculean challenge!
Being energized when it comes to our resolutions is a metaskill that we can totally master.
Here are my top five favorite things to remember in order to crush your goals for 2023:
1. This year, only resolve to do what YOU really WANT to do. Forget what your friends are doing or what your significant other thinks you “should” do.
Choose a resolution that speaks to your heart; that inspires you; that you feel compelled to embrace.
A resolution that “would be nice,” you “kind of want,” “sort of,” “maybe,” is not going to propel you into action. This may sound basic, but I’ve observed this when coaching my clients on goals.
If you kinda want it, it’s definitely not going to happen. Make sure you are very clear on your “why.”
Ask yourself: Why do I want to lose 40 pounds? Why do I want to cut out sugar?
The reasons behind your “why” will fuel your self-motivation!
2. Please understand that it’s going to be PAINFUL to get what you want! The truth is, it’s not supposed to be easy, nor will it be fun. It’s supposed to be HARD and sometimes it will feel downright impossible. The pain of continuing will most likely be unbearable at times.
If we understand this in advance and expect the inevitable pain that comes with pursuing our goals, this alone will help us to keep going and not quit when we have our first obstacle. Expect it to be hard and decide to embrace the pain ahead of time.
P.S. You can totally do hard things!
3. At the same time, try to keep your 2023 goals simple. Do not make them unrealistic and insanely difficult. You know, deep inside, that you won’t actually continue to go after your goals if they’re too far fetched.
For example, rather than resolving to run three miles a day when, at the present time, you get winded walking up a flight of stairs, set a goal that is more available to your current ability level. Better to set smaller, more doable resolutions and win than to bite off more than you can chew and ultimately throw in the towel.
4. You’re never going to feel like it. After setting your resolutions this year, understand that, very often, (most days), your brain will try to talk you out of following through. That is because of the Motivational Triad. Our human brains are wired to avoid pain and seek pleasure. Often, we focus on the pain of the process and don’t give equal airtime in our heads to the long-term amazingness that we will feel when we achieve our goal.
If you want success this year, put the focus on long-term pleasure instead of the inevitable short-term pain. This is key to success!
5. Stop beating yourself up for not being perfect. Just because you made a resolution to work out three times a week and you’ve only gone to the gym twice this week (or not at all) doesn’t mean anything about you. You are still 100% lovable; 100% worthy. Allow yourself to be human and cut yourself a break when you don’t follow through. You will be much more inclined to keep going if you offer yourself compassion and grace when you fall off track. Just get back up and recommit.
When I was a young girl, my mother instilled in me the notion that I could achieve anything I wanted if I put my mind to it. Sage advice.
Setting resolutions is an act of love for yourself — and others — in your life. It is a spiritual practice. It’s not merely about the attainment of the goal; rather, the true magic of goal setting is who you become in the process: your highest and best self.
Let’s let go of resolution fatigue that we may be carrying from New Year’s past.
Rather, let’s allow ourselves to become energized by this New Year’s present — the gift of growth and evolution!
Have a blessed 2023!
P.S. Often we struggle to set goals. I have struggled as well. Life coaching is so valuable because it helps you to stay accountable and take the steps toward the life you want to create. If life coaching is something you’ve been pondering, why not click here for a free consultation?
