Do you make New Year’s Resolutions?  I have not done so since the first year I opened my gyms in 2003.  So many women flooded the gyms in January and were MIA by February 1 rolled around.  We were calling them and they were not interested in coming in.  It was a New Years Resolution that they thought they had to do but when push came to shove they hated it.  So I made a decision that we were not taking any new clients in the first two weeks of January and whoever came through the doors had a free trial.  That way if they loved it they stayed and by the end of January, you had those who were serious about improving their health and wellbeing.  Everyone thought I was nuts to even think about it so the next year we were back to a free week trial and paid after that, usually waiving the initial start-up or administration fee.  

Why I mentioned this story is that New Year’s Resolutions (NYR) typically do not work for anyone.  I have yet to find someone who just made an NYR and then stuck to it.  If they made a goal, figured out what to do every month to reach that goal, and broke it down to daily activities, then it was not an NYR!  NYR’s are usually made in haste and are so huge that no one ever wanted to really take them on or all business owners would be making them every month to be successful!!

Here is the thing, most people do not trust the process and have the patience to see things through.  It did not take a day to put on weight or lose energy or be a couch potato.  It was a process that you consciously or unconsciously made and the habit crept in – now it feels comfortable.  People do not like change but you probably had to change to the habits you have now to be where you are at.  We do not feel uncomfortable with slow progressive change. 

So what if you could take small steps?  What if you could decide today to go easier on yourself and not make HUGE changes right away?  And what if you could empower yourself, find the motivation within you to WIN at this habit game?  

The answer is to Set an Intention.  That is it.  It seems easy and simple but you have to make sure of a couple of things when you do and they have to be small things you can actually see yourself accomplishing.  

1) Set your intention on something you want (ie. lose 10 lbs. Or get 2 new clients)

2) When do you want to accomplish this by (ie. 2 months from now OR by the end of the Month) 

3) Why do you want it? (ie. live healthier, fit into my skinny jeans, look sexy  naked OR continue to make money to support my family, buy a house, make an enormous impact) 

4) What can you do today to start on this journey? (ie. park further from work so I get more walking in &  pack a lunch so I know what I am eating OR make a list to people I would like to work with)

5) What are you willing to continue to do to make this happen? (ie. stay focused on my why, eat less, eat more greens OR continue to talk to people, make more discovery calls) 

6) What will happen if I do not achieve it?  (ie. get sick OR have to go to work for someone else) 

7) What are you going to do to celebrate your wins?  (ie. when I lose 10 lbs I get a mani/pedi OR I will take a night off to spend with family watching a movie)

When you answer these and you know what you want, time frame it and what you can do to celebrate it, the whole experience becomes more of a pleasant journey instead of a crazy task that does not seem doable.  Then when you achieve it you can do it again or set another intention for yourself that allows you to be the WINNER at everything you set your mind to in this habit changing game.  This is one of the easiest ways to set new habits and allow yourself to enjoy the journey along the way!!   And don’t you deserve to WIN!!  I know you do. 

Blessings!

Alyson 

XOXOXO