Today is the day full of hope and optimism of the year.
It’s great!
Whatever goals or resolutions you set for yourself, I’m excited for you!
We’re all trying to better ourselves, and even if things haven’t worked out the way we’d like in the past, we hope this time will be different.
Musician Nick Cave describes hope as “optimism with a broken heart,” and I think that’s very accurate. We all strive to be different when change is so difficult.
If you’re trying to develop a new exercise habit or change the number on the scale this year, I salute you. Setting a goal to change is highly commendable.
But to give ourselves the best chance of accomplishing our goal, we must combine that goal with some self-reflection and self-awareness.
Here are TWO questions to ask yourself as 2025 begins…
Question 1: What is different about this time?
I’m proud of you because you started again.
But what is different about this attempt?
If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.
The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.
If you choose the same goal or strategy you’ve tried (unsuccessfully) in the past, the result will be the same: another lost year of “why can’t I get my act together?”
So, be intentional about what’s different this time!
Don’t just “go on the XYZ diet” or “give up all sugar forever” or “train for a marathon” again, especially if you’ve tried those things and can’t stick with them.
Something must be different this time:
- Make fewer changes.
- Pick ONE goal and focus on it.
- Choose a different exercise routine.
- Choose a different diet or nutritional change.
- Choose a different time of day to exercise.
- Recruit a friend to join you so you’re not doing it alone.
- Create your new desired behavior Theuseful or necessaryThe.
Prove to yourself that you have learned something from your previous attempts. Don’t let past failures be in vain – they show you what doesn’t work for you
Try something different this time!
Question 2: What are you afraid of?
You’re full of momentum right now, and that’s great.
But three weeks from now, life will happen, and something will go wrong.
What has been your attitude when this has happened in the past?
We ask each TheNF Coaching ClientThe before they start, “What are you most nervous about?”
That answer is something they know as a result of their previous attempts:
Will you get busy and decide to “rest until things slow down?” Great! Now you know that when that little voice in your head says it, you can prepare for it, plan to do something else, and decide not to. have to listen to that voice in your head.
Will you have a bad day and go completely off the rails? Great! Now you know that when you have a bad day, you can forgive yourself, not look back in anger or guilt, and get right back on track.
Are you going to give up even though you really want to keep going? Great! It happens to all of us when motivation wanes after a few weeks. Think about it Theadding a Ulysses PactThe to watch your weaknesses or make a bet with a friend to keep you accountable.
NF Coach Matt Myers was recently at TheMental Golf Podcast with Josh NicholsThe – and at the 24:30 mark in the episode, Matt points out something to Josh that surprises him:
“You told me before you started, ‘I know I’m going to come out of the gates HARD, but in about 3 weeks, I’m going to burn out and pass out.’
And I said, ‘Thanks for letting me know,’ and I’m ready to check in with you again and again at the 21-day mark!”
Josh had the self-awareness to know where he would stumble in the future, he and Coach Matt planned for it, and together they got over the hump.
Since then, they’ve been working together for two months (and counting), and only one day of Josh checking in and missing a day hasn’t caused Josh’s normal “all-or- nothing”!
This time MAY be different
We all set out to change, and even if we are self-conscious…
We often bite off more than we can chew:
Our goals and hopes often overshadow the fact that we are flawed, busy, complicated people living unpredictable lives.
that’s fine!
If we know these things, if we can try something else…then even this next attempt doesn’t work either, we can remove that strategy from the list of potentially successful paths, and try again.
That’s just life: try, fail, fix, restart.
-Steve
PS: If you don’t want to go on this journey alone, I’d appreciate it if you’d take a look Thethe NF Coaching ProgramThe.
Our coaches are amazing and we want to help you reach your goals. We’ve had a TON of sign-ups these past few days, which makes me really excited to help so many new people.
