Who has ever made grand goals to go to the gym or park everyday at like six o’clock in the morning hopeful to work out every part of your body but deep down knowing that you would quit after less than a month and look guiltily back on that shameful day for the rest of the year? Starting a new diet or kicking a bad habit is the exact same way. You try and quit everything cold turkey and sooner or later you fail and fall back into your old ways. The new year is upon us now and I’m sure people already have countless little resolutions carefully laid out in their minds to be kept safe until that magical day when change and new opportunity arrives. Be more grateful, be more generous, volunteer more, eat healthier, exercise more, have a better attitude, enjoy life more, find new love, and the list goes on of all the things people hope to accomplish in 2018, but how do they actually do it? Unfortunately New Years eve is not magic, nor is the next day, meaning you are the same person with the same problems falling into the same loop every year. This is by definition, insanity.
By now you must be begging for the secret to keeping your well-thought-out New Year’s resolutions and it’s true, I do have a pretty good solution for keeping your resolutions. Start small. I know the idea is to go big or go home, after all big change is your end goal, but trust me. By turning “go to the gym every day” into “start taking the stairs everywhere instead of elevators and escalators” or “park further away from places I need to go,” you can achieve greatness without changing who you are. Instead of “eat healthier every day,” try to “drink water in place of all other liquids” and notice a vast difference within a week. Instead of making one big resolution at the start of the year, make a resolution to accomplish smaller, more flexible, goals throughout the year. Reflect on your progress once a week or so and adjust to increase your efforts toward a particular goal. Want to eat healthier? Replace one unhealthy item with a healthier one each week to slowly get you used to your new “diet.” Black bean brownies are full of protein, delicious, and can replace typical processed sugars and chemicals found in store bought brands. Eat brownies for breakfast while on your diet and experience a happier and healthier you.
Everyone already knows what it is that they should be doing, and everyone has a tiny voice in their head telling them they should be doing it, but not many can actually make the connection needed to see why the goals they make are important. After all, just because you want to look and feel fantastic doesn’t mean you want to work out multiple times a week and feel sore and sweaty. No matter what it is, TV, games, time with friends, golf, or whatever else, you will always make time for what is important to you. Doing fun things is easy and helps you unwind, but doing things that you dislike for your own greater good just doesn’t seem worth it in the present. Besides, you’re tired and busy. That’s why starting small and accomplishing countless tiny goals is the perfect way to help you do both. You get to work towards a better you without completely sacrificing your current lifestyle. Small alterations to your daily life over time will help you see the importance of change as well as help you make those necessary changes. If you need personal assistant help in any way, please call Good Neighbor Concierge at 617.209.9311 or fill in the form in the sidebar to schedule a no-obligation needs assessment at a time that is convenient for you.
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