So, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the end of the year. Why? Because we have the beginning of a NEW YEAR!
I love fresh starts. Yes, that includes Mondays. I love when we’re given the opportunity to be better, smarter, stronger people. It doesn’t have to be a Monday or a new month or a new year to make better choices for yourself, but for the sake of the new year, let’s start thinking about how 2013 is going to be a year that we feel our absolute best, inside and outside. It’s going to take some work, but that’s ok! We’ll all do it together.
Every year you give yourself the, “This is my year…” talk, and every year you go back to your usual habits and give yourself the “Oh well, this is just how I am…” talk. This goes for something small, like giving up soda, or big like, making a complete lifestyle change. If you have settled in to a mindset that allows you to believe that you are not able to change, you’ve stopped working on yourself and you’ve checked out. If you’ve stopped working on yourself, you’re going to be the exact same person for the rest of your life, with the same results, every time. “This is just how I am” pacifies your mind for a little bit and gives you a false justification for doing the things you do just to get by another day without hating yourself. But let’s be honest, that doesn’t last. I know I always end up feeling consumed with guilt and it creates all this bad energy to work from. I hate doing things because I have to. I want to work towards something because I want to. So, why do we do that?
Because it’s easy.
It’s easy to be comfortable in your own mind with your own habits and rationalities. I get it. And trust me, we all do it. So I want 2013 to be full of strength. Inner strength, that is. If you have 5 minutes to spare (you should if you’re reading this), do this little exercise with me!
I’m going to take part in this by making a list of 3 things I’m going to do more of, less of, and let go of. Keep in mind, this can be in relation to your fitness, personal growth, relationships, anything! I’m going to share my lists with you. You don’t have to, but please feel free to do so! You can leave it on here, or you can send me a private email. We all need accountability partners (at least I do) and I’d love to be yours! If not, that’s totally ok. Make one for yourself and be COMPLETELY HONEST. That is ABSOLUTELY KEY to ANY change that you want to make in your life. Even if it’s ugly, write it down. And don’t forget to put it somewhere that’s VISABLE! Ok, here it goes…
3 THINGS I’M GOING TO DO MORE OF IN 2013:
MEDITATION.YOGA. FOLLOWING THROUGH WITH COMMITMENTS (big and small).
3 THINGS I’M GOING TO DO LESS OF IN 2013:
DRINKING. COMPARING. STRESSING OVER NOTHING.
3 THINGS I’M GOING TO LET GO OF IN 2013:
SELF HATE. THE NEED TO PLEASE EVERYONE. ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS.
It is important that we use the words ‘MORE, LESS, AND LET GO’. If you’re anything like me, ‘GIVING UP’ is a scary term. I automatically start feeling defeated; it’s too definite (See: commitment issues). Also, keeping the ‘Things I’m going to do MORE of’ list is important to do first. Why? Because most of the time, when you do MORE of the things that you want to do, all the other bad habits kind of go away slowly or don’t seem as important. This is the list of things that include things you want to work on and things that make you feel happy and fulfilled.The second list is important because taking baby steps IS KEY and because it’s not necessarily the thing that brings you down the most. So, don’t focus on giving it up completely. Just do less of it. Eventually, you’ll learn how to live without it being such an issue, and that will be your new normal. A lot of this is just re-programming. The last list is the one that causes you the MOST harm physically, spiritually, and mentally. Get rid of it. Don’t waste any more of your time on habits that you’re completely capable of changing or replacing with a positive.
You have to recognize that you will naturally want to regress to your old habits. You’ll do it without even thinking because that’s how we’ve programmed ourselves to be. So, RE-PROGRAM! Stick to it and be proud of your progress!
Be strong with every choice you make and watch your best self come to life!
Happy New Year guys!
