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5 Tips To Nail Your New Year's Resolution
Firstly, it might be worth dropping the term “resolution.” If each and every year you set yourself a new resolution and each and every year, you’ve given up by the second week of January, there is every chance that you (and others) won’t take it seriously. Instead, decide to call it something like a focus or a personal goal. This fresh perspective, will help you to take yourself more seriously.
Here are 5 more tips that will lead you to success in your 2019 goals.
1. Make Your Goal Positive!
This might sound obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people come to me with a goal that focusses on what they don’t want, rather than what they do. Your unconscious mind can’t differentiate between positive and negative thoughts so a goal that uses language revolving around what you don’t want will encourage your mind to focus on the negative, unwanted behavior that you are trying to move away from.
For example, I want you to follow this simple command. Whatever you do – don’t think of a bright yellow sunflower. I repeat, do not think of a bright yellow sunflower.
I imagine, that despite me telling you not to, you probably thought of the yellow sunflower, even if just for a moment. This is because your unconscious mind ignores the word ‘don’t’ and concentrates on the behavior – to think of a bright yellow sunflower.
It is the same with your goals and the language you use to clarify them. For example, if your goal is that you don’t want to eat fatty food anymore, then your mind will be hearing ‘eat fatty food’ and processing the thought of what you don’t want first.
Instead, you might want to set your goal as something like “to only eat healthy foods” or “to eat a balanced diet.”
2. Make It Realistic
If you want to run a marathon, unless you are already incredibly fit, you probably won’t be able to run it tomorrow! Likewise, if you want to regain control of your spending and finances, the chances are you won’t have saved yourself a deposit for a new house in 6 months. Instead, you may want to set a long term goal and then, break it down into smaller achievable goals. For example, it might be to save a particular amount of money per month towards a deposit for a house or to clear a particular amount per month from your credit card.
3. What Does It Get For You?
We are more motivated as humans when we think about the rewards of goal, rather than just the goal itself. For example, if you want to quit smoking, take some time to think about what that would get for you, in the short, mid and long term. For example, short term you will start to cough a lot less, medium term your risk of lung cancer is seriously decreased and long term, you get to see your children/grandchildren grown up.
4. See It, Hear It, Feel It
Make the outcome of your goal really clear! In order to do this, imagine that you have achieved your goal in the best possible way. Close your eyes and imagine it as if you are living it. See it through your own eyes, hear what you hear and feel what you would feel. Make a detailed list in each of the categories so you know exactly what you are aiming for and what it feels like to achieve it.
5. Get A Champion
Having somebody in your corner when times get tough can make all the difference as to whether you stick on track or fall off of the wagon. This could be a friend, a partner or a therapist/coach. A word of warning though, if you don’t choose a trained professional, make sure pick your champion wisely. Friends and family can often seem supportive; however, change can be daunting to them particularly if it means that you may lose something you have in common or takes you in a direction that they are not ready to move in. For example, if you want to quit smoking, find somebody who has quit smoking before and thinks it’s the best thing that they have ever done, or if you want to become fit and healthy, find somebody who lives and breathes a healthy lifestyle.
I hope these tips help you to succeed and achieve everything that you want from 2019.
If you want to find out more about how I can be your champion to maximise your success using hypnotherapy, psychotherapy and/or coaching, get in touch now for a free consultation and to take advantage of my half price offer on your first 2 sessions booked in January 2019.
Call/Text: 07557 157084
Email: info@hypnotherapychangeworks.co.uk
© Hypnotherapy Change Works - Hypnotherapy in Seaford & East Sussex.
