Who is excited for a new year? Have you set your goals in hopes of creating a new you? The New Year is all about a fresh start of new beginnings where we hope to begin something new and create something great in our life. It’s a time to look inward and ponder our life. Are you getting the results you want? Are you where you want to be? Where do you want to improve? What do you what to accomplish this year? What are your wellness goals? Here are four tips for making a better version of yourself this year (no matter what is going on around you).
The first one is be aware of your beliefs. Awareness is the key to changing anything. If you want to know why you do what you do or why you feel a certain way, start paying attention to your beliefs. A belief is a thought that we have practiced over and over. Our beliefs create all the results we have in our life. What are you consistently telling yourself? I work with clients who tell themselves they aren’t good enough. They set goals to exercise or eat better but when they mess up they start beating themselves up and quit trying to exercise or they say who cares about food and they eat whatever they want. And then they feel bad about themselves and they create more evidence that they can’t reach their goals. They beat themselves up and reinforce their belief “I’m not good enough.” As these clients become aware of their beliefs and realize they can believe anything they want, they are able to create thoughts that inspire them which moves them forward in creating the life they want. To create a new belief, practice new thoughts over and over (like going to a gym and doing reps). Before you know it you can stop beating yourself up and love yourself wherever you are in your journey. A few days ago one client said, I’m just gonna be me and I’m ok if others don’t like me. I have so much fun being me.” She has dropped the belief that she’s not good enough and she is moving forward with creating a life that she wants.
The second tip is to focus on small changes. Small changes done consistently are the secret to building positive changes in your life. Let’s say you have a goal to exercise 5 days a week. You have it planned out but don’t have enough time one day. You think you can’t do it because exercise is supposed to be a whole workout. What if you just did stretches for 5 minutes or went on a short walk? This will keep you committed to your goal. It’s the small things that add up to great things. What is a habit you want to start doing? Now break it down to small steps that you can accomplish even under great limitations of time, energy and motivation. Have you heard the story of The Magic Penny? If you take a penny and double it everyday for 31 days you will end up with $10,737,418.24. As Darren Hardy says, “Very few things are as amazingly impressive as the ‘magic’ of compounding pennies. Amazingly, this ‘force’ is equally powerful in every area of your life.” (The Magic Penny - by Darren Hardy).
The third tip is to journal. Our thoughts come and go so quickly that we aren’t usually aware of them. When we are stressed it’s because of what we are thinking. Don’t believe me? Next time you are feeling stressed, stop and take note of what you are thinking. Are you worried about something, someone? Are you thinking about all the things you need to do and how you don’t have time? We all have up to 60,000 thoughts a day. Learning to think on purpose and journaling is like having your own therapy session. Use your journal to give yourself the gift of writing about things that you love about yourself, things you’re worried about, things that you want to do for the day, things that might get in your way and how you can solve that. Write what you are worried about and what you wish were different. Notice what you are currently thinking and what you want to be thinking. What do you have control over? Write about your goals. What excuses are getting in your way? What are you going to do to work through them? This doesn’t have to take a lot of time. Getting your thoughts on paper helps you see what you are creating and if they are helping you reach your goal of creating the life you want.
The forth tip is to say positive affirmations. We may not realize that our potential is buried by a lot of negativity. Affirmations are short, simple, powerful expressions. I am strong. I am unstoppable in reaching my goals. I am the creator or whatever I dream. Things are always
working out for me. Everything is figure-out-able. Words have incredible power and when they are spoken they are 10’x more powerful. Affirmations might not feel true but when you say, think, and hear them, they become thoughts that create reality. Pick a few I am statements that you like, write them down where you can see them and say them throughout the day. The brain finds evidence for what you are thinking even if you don’t believe it yet. Last year was one of my best years ever because I learned these tips. And this year is going to be even better because I continue to apply these tips as I continue my journey of showing up as my best self. Who else is ready to become their best self and make the most of this year? Whatever your goals or dreams, be aware of your beliefs, focus on making small consistent changes, journal, and say positive affirmations. Let’s make this year the best ever!