Forming New Habits!

Motivational speaker Jim Rohn once said, "I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacations with better care than they plan their lives. Perhaps it's because escape is easier than change."

As the new year is upon us many people have set resolutions, many of which will fade by February 1st (I saw this statistic on TV). This has always been the case for me in the past. I pick something for my resolution just to say I have one and then within a few weeks I have forgotten about it. I don't want that to be the case this year. On Christmas my Daddy, yes I am 27 and I still call him Daddy, had all of us write down our goals for the year. Goal setting is something my Daddy and my hubby believe in A LOT! The power of a written goal is amazing. It is one thing to have a goal, but by writing it down you increase your chances of obtaining that goal by 300 % and if you put a date of when you will obtain your goal it increases your chances by 500%. While these are all things I know because I grew up hearing this info. (I could probably do a seminar on goal setting), I never really thought goals applied to me as a Household Executive. I was surprised at how easily I came up with goals for the new year. I have them posted on my refrigerator so I see them daily! My Daddy recently sent me an email on goal setting so I thought I would paraphrase it for you. I hope it helps you obtain your New Years Goals!

Tip #1: Repetition is an effective way to get your goal stuck into your non-conscience mind!
Setting a goal is a conscience activity and so is writing it down. But, most of our activities that are automatic come from the non conscience mind. Long term behavior changes don't take place when you set goals one time like many New Year's resolutions. The brain is our most powerful tool! Earl Nightingale wrote "The Strangest Secret is that we become what we think about most of the time." It is the goals you focus on daily that become automatic.

Tip #2: Emotion is a goal turbo charger! A New Years resolution that is made casually on a whim, like most of them are, are less likely to be obtained than the goals that are set with passion and emotion. Zig Ziglar once said that, "A goal casually set and lightly taken will be freely abandoned at the first obstacle." If there is no passion behind your goals then when you have that craving for a soda, don't feel like working out, want to buy that awesome pair of jeans, or feel like having just one chocolate chip cookie you will give in without giving your goal any thought.

One of my goals for the year is to workout (cardio) three times a week. This morning I did NOT feel like going to the gym! However, I knew that repetition of my goal is the only way to get it to become a habit...so I drug myself there. The only way I made myself go is because my friend was going also. Accountability is key! Working out is one of my goals because I want to lead a healthy life. I am now passionate about this after seeing those close to me suffering from sickness. Therefore, I also have the passion behind this goal. Although I didn't want to go, I now feel good that for this week I have made it to the gym three days.

So, may you turn your resolutions into goals that will last the whole year! Good luck and persevere!

Information from this entry was from an article by Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCSAuthor, Burn The Fat, Feed The Musclehttp://www.burnthefat.comhttp://www.burnthefatinnercircle.com