Sticking to your New Year's Resolutions

Following Doc Craig’s epic End of Decade Monday Motivation, the 60% of us who make New Year’s Resolutions have some solid information on how to best set, plan for and smash our goals this year.

Statistically speaking, 25% who initially made them have already ‘failed’ within this first week, with 85% of starters abandoning their original plans by the 2nd week of February, leaving less than 10% finishing strong at the end of the year.

Goal setting is something we are pretty good at as chiropractors. Most people we work with present to our office with a problem interfering with the way they WANT to live their life, and we work together over time to get to that outcome taking in to account the individuals' values and lifestyle.

If we look at the top 10 resolutions from beginning 2019 from a survey from Inc.com -

• Eating healthier

• Exercising more

• Lose weight

• Save more and spend less

• Learn a new hobby or skill

• Quit smoking

• Read more

• Find another job

• Drink less alcohol

• Spend more time with family or friends.

We can see the majority of these are pretty vague and not really measurable, so it’s no wonder they end up on the same list next year. Here are 5 things to bare in mind which may help you through the process:

Get clear on your WHY – first and foremost. If your resolution it’s something you think you ‘really should do’ you can all but forget about completing it. Get clear on WHY this goal is important to you. What is the vision you have of your life? How will this make you feel when you get there? Write out PLAN. These two short 10-15 minute podcasts by Jay Shetty and Tony Robbins outline some simple and effective processes to get you going.

Break down big goals in to smaller – mini goals. We can tick these off more frequently acting as benchmarks and keeping us motivated by showing we are heading in the right direction. Write a short list of easy, attainable things to help towards your goal at the beginning of the week and tick them off as you go. Small daily accomplishments lead to big long term changes.

Build momentum by being consistent with rituals. We are creatures of habit. Set the precedent for the day by making your bed, getting your joints moving (and waking your brain up), doing something challenging (I choose a two minute cold shower). This starts the day building momentum. Similarly, a routine at night to wind down from the day and write down three things you are grateful for. There are going to be times along the journey where you have less energy and motivation. By keeping up with the mini-rituals, you'll still maintain some momentum for when it’s time to put the foot on the gas again.

Get involved with other people. We are social creatures. Talking about your goals to people you are close to helps keep you accountable. Join groups and share experiences with like-minded people. Not only will you be able to share your successes and challenges but also share past experiences and create a sense of community – all things necessary not only for progression but leading a happy and healthy life.

Decrease stress / balance overall energy expenditure. So much of our days are spent reacting to our ‘outer world’.  Many of us, especially in busy cities, are chronically stressed. The stress response is designed to expend our energy and over time can affect our sleep, posture digestion, immunity and clarity of thought.  Find something you enjoy to help put back ‘in’ to you on a regular basis – preferably daily. Effective things include mindfulness, yoga, meditation and specific types of breath work. Being under chiropractic care has been shown to decrease stress on the nervous system, so it’s no wonder the majority of the people we work with report better sleep, flexibility, ability to manage and recover from stressful events.

Real change takes a firm commitment and while some of us respond well being completely militant, others ease in to it. It’s the small daily additions and tweaks that add up over time. Have discipline but also compassion and kindness for yourself. And definitely check out the podcasts above if you are serious about being in the 10%.

Good luck smashing your new year goals.