New Year Goal or New Year Mantra?
Anyone else feel like 2018 kicked their butt when it came to their goals? Maybe you had a new year goal to lose some weight, maybe your goal was to change careers, or maybe your goal was to beat the battle with depression you’ve struggled with for years. We live in a society that becomes obsessed with goals this time of year, but less obsessed with the mindset, or better yet the mantra needed to consistently take the steps to meet your goals. It can be so easy to get caught up in the trends of a new year i.e. this is the year I’ll become paleo, vegan, a crossfit expert, etc. You name a wellness trend, and most of us on any type of wellness journey have either tried it or considered trying it, however, we often forget the daily mindset needed to actually make these changes. I want to be clear I am not talking about that “I love myself speech” we start our new year’s resolutions with. I am talking about that I am CHOOSING to do all the hard sh** that has been keeping me from truly living the life I WANT to live. What is the hard sh** I am talking about here.
Well, the truth of the matter is that differs from person to person, just like your wellness journey will be different than everyone else’s, no matter how much your symptoms match theirs, your traumas match theirs, or your DNA matches theirs. A health journey is not a straight or parallel path; it is a windy, swirly, and frustrating path for 99% of us that have embarked on this work. People who succeed on their journeys do not workout everyday without fail, or eat a perfect diet, or have “the right type” of friends. People who succeed at hitting their goals know their WHY BEHIND THEIR WHY. They have identified the mantra, the team, and the system that works for them. Then they hit a few road bumps, recalibrate, and start again. So I know many of us like to have at least some type of road map before we move forward with any change, so I am going to include what’s worked for me and for my clients.
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BLINDERS on.
This is a non-negotiable because people are going to question your journey. They are going to say things like “Why do you eat such weird stuff?” and “You don’t need to lose any weight” and all sorts of things that are going to cause you to question YOUR goals. So having a solid “why” for making lifestyle changes and blinders on at all times to keep all the other voices out of your head is VITAL. Not to mention looking at everyone else’s “success” on social media can be just as sabotaging as looking to others for validation. If an action is robbing you of your confidence in yourself or your instincts then it’s time to discontinue. This may even mean deleting some apps off your phone or staying off facebook until you get your feet firmly planted in your new lifestyle/routine.
2. LOOK AT YOUR GUT HEALTH.
I am putting this in all caps because your gut health affects everything, like I mean everything. It affects how your organs function, you know important parts of your body like your brain. Your gut, your brain, your heart all communicate via intricate pathways and when your gut is not healthy, it’s almost impossible for the rest of you to be healthy. So look into getting the labs you’ve been avoiding, cutting back the sugar that feels like it is “fixing” things, and REDUCE all the stress that you are telling yourself is just a normal part of being a mom, a teacher, a whatever. High stress my friends ruins your gut.
3. Who is on your team?
When you are looking to achieve anything in life it typically requires a team. Maybe you want to learn to do a handstand, or perhaps you are ready to work through the trauma you’ve been avoiding, or perhaps you are desiring a promotion at work; this typically requires more than just your own efforts. You want to hit some yoga goals well then you typically are in need of a yoga instructor, possibly a massage therapist if you’re new to fitness, and maybe even an accountability partner. This is YOUR TEAM and ladies and gents, we are all more successful with a team no matter how much life experience, degrees, or determination we have. I am a wellness professional and you better believe I have a team behind me in multiple areas of my life, especially when it comes to my health. All you healers/wellness professionals out there reading this YOU NEED SUPPORT TOO. Honestly in my opinions wellness professionals need more support because our cups are emptied almost daily.
4. Drink water.
Yes this may seem obvious or random but have you tried to function when you’re dehydrated? It’s not pretty folks, it’s not pretty for your insides or what is showing up on your skin and in your behavior, so like with all my other blogs I am reminding you today to drink your WATER.
5. Reminding yourself on a daily basis of what a Badass you are.
If you’re in need of help with this then I recommend reading “You’re a Badass” by Jen Sincero and reading it at least twice. You’ll get even more the second time around.
Lastly, part of achieving your goals, no matter what they are, is failing at meeting your goals. I mean like eating the ice cream on your cleanse, dropping a deadline at work, and missing a month of workouts. These less than ideal tasks toward goal achievement are a part of goal achievement. It is the hiccups, the hard parts, and the stretches we need to make that allow us to truly appreciate our progress and become less likely to stray from it once we accomplish what we set out to do. If you’re looking for a team that includes Counseling, and Health Coaching, contact us at Health For Life Grand Rapids today. We are happy to serve as a team, or with individual services specific to each discipline. Let 2019 be the year that you choose to focus on setting a mantra, finding the right team, and achieving the goals that you were unable to meet this past year.
References:
You are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life. 2013. Running Press. Jen Sincero
