Keeping New Year’s Resolutions… Are You Still?
Many people aren’t. Why is that? Why is it such a challenge to stick to our New Year’s resolutions when we felt so determined when setting them? How can we keep to our New Year’s resolutions faithfully?
Many of us reflect on the year passed, realized our numerous follies and set about making major resolutions for the coming year. Lose weight, quit smoking, spend more time with family and friends, quit drinking, learn something new are along the most common New Year’s resolutions.
And the followings are some of the primary reasons for our failing to keep them straight and true:
- Unrealistic goals and/or time frame,
- Poor/no planning,
- Difficulties in overcoming habitual actions,
- Lack of staying power (a.k.a. perseverance).
We human beings are creatures of habits and many New Year’s resolutions we made require us to break those habits that we have developed over years, decades, or even a lifetime. Talk about counter-intuitive. No wonder it’s so tough to maintain those promises.
However, breaking habits can be simple if you know how. First, develop S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Results-focused, Time-bound) goals. It is absolutely unnecessary to create the perfect S.M.A.R.T. plan in 1 sitting ( or 2 or 3 sittings for that matter). You won’t even get a slap on the wrist for making any mistake. So relax. It is suppose to be a live document meaning that you can refine it as much as you want, as often as you want, as you go along.
Second, you need determination and perseverance to follow-through your plan. This is the crux of the matter for most people. The good news is help is readily available for those who find themselves wanting in those 2 departments.
Understand that habit is a recurrent, unconscious pattern of behavior that is acquired and entrenched through frequent repetition. In other words, it is an established disposition of the mind or character. To overcome a habit hence requires access to our unconscious mind (or subconscious mind as some like to call it). This is where hypnotherapy is specifically well-suited.
A good hypnotherapist would take you through your plan(s), provides fresh and beneficial perspectives, works with you and your unconscious mind to develop the required qualities (determination, perseverance etc.), and offers you the mental support along the way.
Learn more about what hypnotherapy is and how it can benefit you. Alternatively, check out our various quality services.