Did you set a New Year’s resolution this year?
What? “Why are you talking about New Year’s resolutions in the middle of summer?”, you ask!
The fact is, now is a great time to look back on your resolutions to see if you succeeded, and if not, to get curious about what might help you succeed the next time you resolve to make a habit change.
Did you know that nearly 50 percent of Americans vow to make behavioral changes in January and only 8 percent achieve their goals?
Maybe these habit myth-busters will give you some ideas on how to make the changes you want in order to have the body, energy, confidence, and health you’ve always wanted but didn’t know where to start.
1. You need a lot of motivation to form habits.
Bad news first … you can have all the motivation in the world and it won’t ensure you’ll form good habits. But the good news is you don’t have a motivation character flaw if you’re struggling to build good habits. One thing that’s more important than forming habits through motivation is having the right system.
2. You just need to learn more about why and how you need to lose weight and that will give you what you need to change.
More bad news/good news! The bad news is knowledge does not equal habit change. Is there good news? There sure is! Action is what will take you where you want to go.
3. All you need is a goal. Once you have a great goal … and you’ve written it down … you’ll follow through.
How many people set New Year’s resolutions? In 2021, over 188 million Americans set intentions for the New Year. How many generally succeed? Only 8%! That statistic busts right through the myth that all you need is a goal. Again, what you really need is the right system.
4. In order to create discipline and success, you need to “go big or go home”.
Big changes are more likely to fail than small, consistent changes. I like to say, “Small hinges swing big doors.” Your system, or process, to make progress should include small, consistent changes.
5. It takes 21 (or you fill in the number) days to form a habit.
How many days have you been reminding your son to put his dirty clothes in the laundry hamper? I’d hazard a guess that it’s been more than 21 days. Has he created that habit? Probably not unless you’ve made it fun for him. I had a client who crafted her laundry basket into a basketball goal. Voila! Habit formed! On the reverse, when you got your daughter her first cell phone, how many days did it take for her to form the habit of picking it up after each “ding”? We’re probably talking seconds for that habit to form! Habit formation is more likely to happen when you associate good feelings with the habit and is not based on the number of days you do the habit.
6. Missing a day will hinder your progress.
You feel like if you miss a day of workout or drinking your water goal, you’ve crashed your habit loop and you’ll have to “start over” (which, by the way, sounds way too hard so you give up right then and there). The good news is that if you miss an occasional day, it doesn’t affect the process of forming habits. Consistency is important but if you beat yourself up for missing a day, it may have the opposite effect, which takes you one step closer to failure.
7. If you can’t make habit changes stick, you have no willpower and/or you’re lazy.
If you feel like you fall into this category, you are not alone. One-third of Americans say they lack self-control to accomplish goals and about one-fourth believe personal character flaws, such as laziness, attribute to sticking to a diet. Frankly, self-control generally doesn’t direct our behaviors. Studies show that people with high levels of discipline and self-control are simply relying on good habits and have a system in place to help them do the things that will lead them to the “who” they want to be.
The bottom line is the right system, support, and accountability is what will move you closer to the “true you” you’ve always wanted to find and didn’t know where to start.
Check out these blogs for more information or click here for a free session to help you get clarity on steps that will move you forward.
You’ve got this, my friend!
Here’s to your health!
