Rewiring Your Thinking
As we head into the New Year it is an opportunity to think about fresh starts and new goals, and with it comes New Year’s resolutions. Sound familiar? Unfortunately, the reality is that for many of us, until we rewire our brain and our thinking, our New Year’s resolutions are destined to fail.
The reason why is because many of our New Year’s resolutions are focused on breaking of habits or behaviors, and habits are hard to break because habitual behaviors are created by patterns in our thinking, formed by neural pathways and memories. In other words, we hard wired to our default tendencies. And until we address this hard wiring, we quickly fall back into old habits when faced with hard choices.
Change requires creating new neural pathways for new thinking.
When considering changes in your life, take a hard look at what your default tendencies are when it comes to a specific behavior. For example, weight loss is one of the most common New Year’s resolutions. Examine what your default behaviors are when it comes to diet and exercise. What did you tend to do when it came to your diet and exercise in the past, and what new behaviors are needed if you are to get out of your comfort zone? Set clear expectations of yourself by defining what you would be willing to commit to and what would not be realistic for you right now, and then focus on new thought patterns and corresponding behaviors.
Set yourself up for success by asking why you wish to make the change in the first place. “False hope syndrome” is a common reason for our failure to achieve goals, and for our default tendencies to take over. For example, if you lose weight do you believe you’ll be more successful or have a happier life? It is important that we make changes for the right reasons because when the expectation of a happier or more successful life doesn’t materialize, our self-esteem is damaged and we quickly revert back to our old behaviors.
Create focus with a short-list of resolutions rather than a laundry list of desires. Even better, start with one resolution and make new resolutions / commitments throughout the year.
Define achievable and tangible goals, and adjust and recalibrate as you make progress. For example, lose 10 pounds in 90 days – not a general goal of losing weight. Or increase exercise time by half an hour each week versus a challenging goal of working out 7 days a week.
Finally and most importantly, have fun and celebrate. Don’t wait till you reach your end-goal to celebrate. Define your milestones and enjoy each step along the way. And if you slip up, as we all do, know that it is simply part of the journey, but don’t let the slip up hold you back. Remember, it’s about progress, not perfection!
The reason why is because many of our New Year’s resolutions are focused on breaking of habits or behaviors, and habits are hard to break because habitual behaviors are created by patterns in our thinking, formed by neural pathways and memories. In other words, we hard wired to our default tendencies. And until we address this hard wiring, we quickly fall back into old habits when faced with hard choices.
Change requires creating new neural pathways for new thinking.
When considering changes in your life, take a hard look at what your default tendencies are when it comes to a specific behavior. For example, weight loss is one of the most common New Year’s resolutions. Examine what your default behaviors are when it comes to diet and exercise. What did you tend to do when it came to your diet and exercise in the past, and what new behaviors are needed if you are to get out of your comfort zone? Set clear expectations of yourself by defining what you would be willing to commit to and what would not be realistic for you right now, and then focus on new thought patterns and corresponding behaviors.
Set yourself up for success by asking why you wish to make the change in the first place. “False hope syndrome” is a common reason for our failure to achieve goals, and for our default tendencies to take over. For example, if you lose weight do you believe you’ll be more successful or have a happier life? It is important that we make changes for the right reasons because when the expectation of a happier or more successful life doesn’t materialize, our self-esteem is damaged and we quickly revert back to our old behaviors.
Create focus with a short-list of resolutions rather than a laundry list of desires. Even better, start with one resolution and make new resolutions / commitments throughout the year.
Define achievable and tangible goals, and adjust and recalibrate as you make progress. For example, lose 10 pounds in 90 days – not a general goal of losing weight. Or increase exercise time by half an hour each week versus a challenging goal of working out 7 days a week.
Finally and most importantly, have fun and celebrate. Don’t wait till you reach your end-goal to celebrate. Define your milestones and enjoy each step along the way. And if you slip up, as we all do, know that it is simply part of the journey, but don’t let the slip up hold you back. Remember, it’s about progress, not perfection!
Contact: jinli@thriveenergycoaching.com