Well 2015 has been harsh to us. But let’s stay positive – I’m finishing the year knowing how truly resilient I am – how strong and determined I can be.
Everyone is thinking about new year’s resolutions – “I’m going to do things differently next year, a new me!” Well unfortunately, you will still be the same person when you wake up tomorrow, with the same likes, weaknesses and so on… I’m not trying to be negative or put you in a bad mood, but trying to make you think slightly differently if there are things you want to achieve or do differently in 2016.
I’m the same person I was in 2014 but life has demanded more of me this year, challenged me to up my game. I still have my weaknesses (chocolate and wine!) but I have also worked out what my priorities are and what is realistic because I’ve had to – a person can only do so much in a day. So I’m not going into 2016 thinking life will be any different – the twins will still keep me up at night and life will still be chaotic – BUT there are things I want to change and achieve and I want to keep evolving as a person. One example for you is that I want to stop eating so much chocolate, but I’m not going to stop eating it all together because that’s not realistic and it won’t make me happy! But the reason and purpose behind wanting to change that element of my life is because we all know sugar is bad for us and I would like to be healthier, in order to help achieve the body shape I want.
So what do you want to achieve or change in 2016? Why? What is the reason? You must find your purpose if you want to stay focused and must really want what you are trying to achieve not just think it is the right thing to do. If you don’t believe in the purpose or actually really want it, why try? It’s not enough to say I’m going to reduce my sugar intake because I know it’s bad for me, but to have the purpose of trimming up the fat on my body and being happy with the way I look.
And is your goal realistic? I’m not cutting down on chocolate to lose weight as I’m not sure that is realistic – instead cutting out some of the sugar in my diet will help aid me in toning up, in combination with working out. If you want to go to the gym four times a week but only managed once a week this year, then that isn’t realistic for you – either because the motivation or purpose isn’t there for you or because life puts different demands on you that aren’t going to make this possible no matter how motivated you are. Maybe aim for twice a week with one run or workout at home? Or just accept that going to the gym isn’t for you and find something that is. When you plan to be realistic with real purpose behind it, you will find change much more achievable.
And remember – this is life! It doesn’t slow down and it will throw challenges at you to make you question yourself and that’s when you will wobble and find those excuses – ‘I’m too tired today’, ‘I’ve had a stressful day’, ‘I feel down today’… But believing in your purpose means you can be strong in those moments and when you can do that, those small changes become part of your daily life. They don’t become the added extras or things we do just when we can be bothered or if we’re having a good day. Working out becomes part of you; eating healthily becomes what you do, not what you think you should do; making more time for family/friends/whoever becomes part of your week, not something you plan to do next week.
So if you want to make tomorrow different then do it! But don’t use a new year as the reason, use a new day. Be better tomorrow than you were today IF you have a reason to be. Find your reason why and be realistic – small changes with purpose and you will find change is possible. And then we can achieve anything!
Remember that today is the youngest you will ever be #noexcuses
Good luck and happy new year!
