My three, simple steps for a fresh start, no need to wait 'til Jan!
1. Stock Take. Today.
It's useful to look at your Life Assets and Liabilities to pin down what is serving you in your life and what is detracting from your daily-joy-levels. Take a look at these four things in turn: People, Habits, Attitudes and Activities. How are they currently adding value? How are they potentially destructive? What do you want more and less of in your life? What's standing in your way? One of the reasons we don't get moving (whilst knowing we need to) is because we're not quite sure where to start or what specifically to work on. Try this as a starting block and see how you get on.
2. Long-Term Gain via Short-Term Pain.
You can't eat an elephant in one mouthful. You've spent as many years as you've been a fully functioning human building up and partaking in habits that half the time you're blind, unaware, and unconsciously unquestioning of. You say "this is just who I am". But I ask you: ... is it? Change happens over time and in bite-sized chunks. Map out the long-term, of course. To do this, take each of your life areas (work, money, home, relationships, personal growth, contribution, health & fitness, and fun & recreation) and nail down what 'Success' really looks like for each area for you. Then decide what just the first step (that you can take today) will be to get you moving in the right direction. i.e. I want to lose 2 stone. So today, I can decide not to eat that ice cream.
Ask yourself: "What small thing can I do today that will make a big difference to my life going forwards?"
3. Be Patient with Yourself.
Habits take at least a month to get into our system. In those first few weeks, you will need to learn to be patient with yourself. Visualise your end goal. Leave yourself notes or pictures in the places you need to, to remind yourself of your goals or why you want to change something. Your inner critic (aka saboteur) will be going crazy in these early stages, trying to pull you back into familiar habits. I suggest you celebrate such inner protest and any feelings of resistance, because these are a sign you really are changing your behaviour for the (your) greater good.
