It’s a new year and most of us have new energy and new enthusiasm to take on new challenges. Millions of people are making New Year’s resolutions, but the odds are stacked against us. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology does not paint a pretty picture. Only 46% of those who made New Year’s resolutions were successful after six months. That means 54% failed before July. This study further indicated that only 4% of those who make no resolution will achieve their goals.
But before we go ahead, what does the word actually mean?
resolution
/ˌrɛzəˈl(j)uːʃn/
a firm decision to do or not to do something.
resolute
/ˈrɛzəl(j)uːt/
admirably purposeful, determined, and unwavering.
It originates from the Latin word “resolvere”, which means “to loosen, unyoke, undo, set free, or break into parts.”
How many of us can truly say we stay resolute in our New Year’s resolutions?
It’s strange how the calendar can dictate and influence the energy we have available at our disposal. It’s normal for energy and motivation to fluctuate but it’s not optimal for us to depend on external factors to provide us with the drive for reaching and achieving our best.
If you want to enable yourself to be highly motivated and driven to achieve your dreams, goals, and desires, regardless of external factors, you must tap into your inner sources of motivation. These are your higher intentions, meanings, and values. Once you uncover these, they provide you with an infinite source of energy, focus and drive. Along with physical and mental wellbeing as an added benefit.
Many of us have new resolutions for change with the best intentions. We are either trying to start something new (positive behaviour) or we are trying to stop some old habit (negative behaviour). What most of us do wrong is we focus on changing the behaviour. This is often short lived and come March and April, we find ourselves doing the same old things. Our resolutions are most often thwarted before we begin to see any fruit of our labour or sacrifice and… we give up.
Whether you are trying to change your eating habits, exercise more, lose weight, read more, get organized, drink less alcohol, start a new hobby, live more balanced life, or live life to the fullest, just trying harder and changing your behaviour won’t work. Beliefs and values govern and control our behaviour. You really have to look above these behaviours to transcend.You must uncover your beliefs, attitudes and assumptions about these concepts. These are the leverage points for transformation.
If setting goals and achieving them was easy and as simple as writing them down, everybody around us will be successful and thriving. But they’re not.
This year really has the potential to be whatever you make of it. Every day is an opportunity to start again. Or it can pass you by in a blink of an eye and you will wish the year over only to once again set the same old resolutions come January 2024. If what you did last year didn’t work, why will it be any different this year? Don’t let the calendar dictate your levels of commitment and drive. Make the decision to be resolute with your resolutions this year.
I love the original Latin meaning of unyoking, loosening, and setting free. Do you feel stuck? If want to get unstuck, you must have an aim and a strategy, and break it into parts. This will keep you on course and direct you. You need to uncover your higher intentions to live a life of purpose. This purpose will give you energy, focus, and something useful to do. It will also keep your immune system strong, reduce inflammation and protect you against mental and physical disease. It will keep you on track in pursuit of the life you want.
If you are looking for a bullet proof method to design and achieve your goals, then join me for a free online session where I will share with you my 12 Steps to Transcend ™.
During this session you will:
- Decide what you want (your goal)
- Uncover your WHY or your higher intentions
- Put a strategy in place: steps and stages
- Identify and remove possible stumbling blocks
- Identify resources needed
- Make a commitment
- Establish accountability
- Take action!
If you would like more information on this free session, please subscribe to my newsletter and I will communicate the details with you. If you are already a subscriber, stay tuned.
If you want to delve deeper into this topic and design your own map to a more rewarding and fulfilling life, then you will like my recently published book. It’s available on Amazon and Takealot.
It’s the antidote to failed New Year’s resolutions and an unlived life.
Now is the time to see beyond, think beyond and move beyond.
Looking forward engaging with you soon
Reinhard
About the author: Reinhard Korb is a Meta-coach and integrates neuroscience, psychology, epigenetics and lifestyle for optimal health, performance, engagement and productivity. As the founder of Keep Thriving, he has facilitated and helped organisations and individuals actualize their potential.