I have several questions for you. What’s the big deal with New Year’s resolutions?!! How many of us truly stick with them? The majority of us quit our resolution by February. Isn’t that the “running joke”? Yet how many of us start the year off with them year after year? Einstein defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” If we are so bent on improvement why postpone starting until the “next year”? We say to ourselves, ” I’ll go on a diet next year” or ” In the new year , I’ll stop smoking”. We declare our resolution only to immerse ourselves in the same counterproductive habits we swore to stop. We sabotage ourselves. In this post , I’m going to share several practical steps for establishing a daily practice for practically anything that you set your mind to accomplish.

1) Establish what it is that you truly want.

As I wrote earlier, if you truly want to change a certain area of your life so badly, why postpone it till “next year”? I , personally, believe that it has to do with us not being honest with ourselves. We haven’t weighed the pros and cons of making the change. How much pain is associated with the current habit versus the potential pleasure associated with changing it? This question leads us to the next step.

2) Identify the consequences for not changing the habit.

Is the habit potentially life threatening? Have you been advised to make changes by a medical professional? to stop smoking? too much alcohol? What about eating habits?Diabetes?High blood pressure? There has to be a sufficient amount of pain associated with the habit in order to initiate permanent change.

3)Start small.

Don’t overwhelm yourself. You will stop yourself before you even get started if you add to much to your plate. If you need to get in better physical shape, don’t workout as if you are training for the Olympics. Start, perhaps, with a brisk walk. Gradually increase your intensity.

I can write about having the courage to be authentic all day long, but , unless you take responsibility for your own personal development in every area of your life , you will repeatedly go through the motions. Nothing will truly be accomplished . Commitment to personal development and being authentic go hand in hand.One compliments the other. Until next time…