So it’s mid September and I bet you think it’s a bit early to be talking about your New Year’s resolutions but hear me out for a minute. Do you know how many tries it takes for the average former smoker to give up smoking for good? Twelve times! So what does that mean for all of us who find that we have trouble each year achieving our resolutions? Ultimately it means that to achieve our most difficult goals or resolutions we have to keep trying and we have to learn something new each time we try.
What is that one thing that year after year you vow to change yet you still seem to be stuck in not making that change?
The former smokers took twelve or so tries because with each try they learned a little bit more about what they would need to do next time in order to quit for good. Quitting took planning and preparation which is why I’m suggesting you start thinking about your New Year’s resolution now. What is that one thing that year after year you vow to change yet you still seem to be stuck in not making that change?
What would happen if you started to remove the barriers to change right now?
What would happen if you started to remove the barriers to change right now? What if you really planned ahead, made a schedule, cleared your calendar and prepared to get unstuck from that one big stuck area? The problem with waiting until the New Year is that often by that time we are wiped out from a busy holiday season and we hobble toward our goal with less than full energy.
By starting right now you will have more energy, you will ride into the holidays headed toward your goal, and you won’t be mad at yourself for letting another year go by without making that change. So go back to your New Year’s resolution from last year. Did you accomplish it? If you didn’t, why not? Make a list of what did and didn’t work and how you can overcome what didn’t work to make that resolution a reality for this fall.
Let me know how you do.
Love,
Lisa Kaplin Psy. D. PCC