As a new year begins, we often default to thinking of ways to force ourselves back into line. We focus on goals with rigid schedules and restrictions. We often see things in a narrow view of what we have to do to get where we want to be and we try hard not to think too long on how painful it will be to get there. We are sucked in to the marketing of gadgets and programs that promise to help us in our arduous journey and we spend our money on memberships, monitors, equipment and pills.
For a few folks, this works. And then we hear the stories of people who start off strong and quit by the end of January. This punishing way of attempting to change ourselves is not motivating for the long term and the rigidity isn’t forgiving when life happens. It often begets the cycle of beating ourselves up when we don’t stick with something we didn’t enjoy in the first place and of comparing ourselves to others who have seemingly accomplished what we determine were just too weak to stick with.
Honestly, I can’t imagine that this is what any of us want to experience. No matter the time of the year. And it doesn’t have to be like this. Not again. So, what if we change our perspective a bit and focus instead on how we can invest in ourselves this year? What if we reframe our thinking and begin to plan out how we can take better care of ourselves in a loving, caring way?
Take a moment and focus on how you want to feel in the coming year. Turn your focus to what you do want rather than what you don’t want and how you do want to feel. Would you like to have more energy? Would you like to feel leaner and stronger in your body? Would you like to experience clear thinking? Would you like to have strong, efficient digestion? I am sure there are other ways that you could describe what you desire in your own body. I encourage you to take a moment to think about those things and to resist the urge to judge yourself for not being there now.
The bodies that we are currently living in are the product of the choices that we have made in the last year, months, days. That’s good news because that means that we can start working on our future body today. Small, consistent changes along the way add up to huge shifts. We don’t have to do it all at once and we can find actually enjoyment in the journey.
It’s about investing in ourselves. Being our own friend. Taking care of ourselves rather than just pushing through and expecting that it has to be hard or unpleasant or unattainable. It’s about loving ourselves more. And that comes from the inside out.
Having a partner or a group for support in the journey makes a monumental difference in our motivation and sustainability. Setting our sights on small, even tiny changes that we can make right now will get us there. When we do things that make us feel good, we will want to do them again. Investing our time, energy, and money in feeling better by creating habits of self-care can change everything.
So, how will you invest your money, your energy, and your time in taking better care of yourself in the coming year? How will you stop spinning your wheels and judging yourself? How will you experience more health and more joy?
These are the questions to ask. And if you need help with the answers, reach out to a friend, to someone who is where you want to be, or to me and chat about it.
I will be practicing right along with you.
Chat again soon,
k