So many people love the saying “New Year, New Me!” but what changes at the strike of midnight on a pre-determined day of the year that makes us believe anything will suddenly be different when we wake the next morning?
The truth about change is that it happens gradually and builds over time. There’s no pre-determined day to make a change. You don’t need to wait for anything. Years ago, I intentionally did not start my health change in January because I did not want to think of it as a New Year resolution. It was a lifestyle change. It was how life was going to be now.
To achieve new goals and new heights we must grow to become a new person. If the person we are now would do those things we’d already have done it. We must ask ourselves – What type of person would achieve the goal I’m setting for myself? What do they value? What habits do they have? We must step into the identity of this person.
Want to work out? Tell yourself that you are a person that values your health and therefore works out. Become an athlete. You are not just a person that wants to work out. When the alarm goes off to go to the gym you might not want to go work out, but if you identify as a person that works out and it’s tied to a core value (for example, taking care of your health in order to show up as your best self for your family) you don’t debate with yourself.
When I initially started my health journey in 2016 I was becoming the healthiest mom-to-be I could for the sake of my future child. This identity was more powerful than wanting to be a certain weight or look a certain way ever was. When I lost that identity after multiple pregnancy losses I had to come up with new motivations to get myself back into showing up for workouts.
So, how do you help current you to step into new you’s shoes? After you’ve embodied the emotions around why you want this identity, you create habit routines.
What has gotten in the way of creating or maintaining this habit before? How can you set yourself up for success now? What incentive – reward or punishment – can you use to motivate yourself to begin the routine?
Everything you do daily is a habit. Habits have a Trigger – Response – Reward loop. You must both create triggers for new (positive) habits and identify triggers for old (negative) habits that you want to change.
For example, if you’re trying to work out early in the morning and know you’re not a morning person: set an alarm in the evening to remind you to set out your gym clothes, pack a bag, set the automatic coffee maker, make a to-go or ready to eat breakfast. Do everything that you can think of to allow a successful transition from your cozy bed to the gym or your space for a home workout.
After your workout take a few minutes to celebrate and feel proud of yourself. Your only competition is who you were yesterday, so if yesterday you did nothing and today you walked for 10 minutes, celebrate that walk. You SHOWED UP for yourself and for anyone that relies on you. Give yourself a high five.
Every time you behave consistently with your new identity it becomes more and more engrained until it’s no longer who you’re trying to become – it’s who you are.
Here’s an exercise that can help you identify where you may want to set up new habits this year. Grab a journal so you can write down your experience.
Take 5-10 minutes to visualize yourself at the end of 2022. It’s December 31st and you’re sitting down in your favorite spot with a cup of your favorite beverage with a journal and reflecting back on the year. What’s happened in the last 12 months to make it your best year ever?
What are you most proud of having done, even if it was hard?
What areas did you achieve goals in (Health, Relationships, Career, Finance, Organization/Environment, Leisure/Hobbies, Spirituality)?
What changes did you have make in your daily habits to allow room for these goals?
How did you feel when you achieved or remained consistent in each goal?
What value has this new way of life added to you and your loved ones?
How do you feel about yourself as a person? What values are you living into?
The most life-changing habit I ever created was investing in my own personal growth and development. If you’re looking to get started on your journey I have a limited number of spots remaining in my upcoming Mastermind, beginning January 18, 2022 and meeting (virtually) every Tuesday at 6:30pm CST for 5 weeks. I would love join you in making 2022 your best year yet.
Believe Grow Glow 