NEW YEAR, NEW YOU: 7 Steps for Supercharging Your New Year’s Resolutions!

Tomorrow is the big day — the beginning of the New Year and the perfect opportunity to renew your commitment to the life you want to create. There’s a big energetic shift that takes place when the year begins, and it’s no coincidence that so many of us focus on new goals and resolutions at this time.

It’s also an unfortunate fact that while over 50% of people create New Year’s resolutions, just a paltry 8% actually achieve their goals, according to research conducted at the University of Scranton. [1] In fact, within 30 days, most people have forgotten or abandoned their resolutions all together!

The intention of this post is to provide you with some tips that will make your resolutions “stick” and carry with you longer, so that your odds of realizing them in 2015 are much higher. These tips are based on personal experience, research and some excellent tips from a book called, Made to Stick, which explains why some things create a lasting impression in our brains, while others just fade away.

Are you ready? Great — let’s jump and see how we can make 2015 your most successful ever!

Step#1: Simplify, Simplify, Simplify!

Your goal or resolution should be something you can quickly remember and keep on the forefront of your mind. Almost like a mantra, in that you can repeat it internally over and over, keeping your focus on it each day.

And because this is something you are going to keep on your mind each day, I think it’s better to have your goal be something positive, instead of negative. For instance, many people will resolve to “lose 15 pounds” — but that’s actually a negative goal — it focuses on removing something and is not the healthiest place to have your mind’s attention. As I discuss in The Beauty Detox Power, where you place your attention and thoughts is incredibly important to your health and weight.

A better way to approach this goal would be more in the direction of, “I resolve to reach my healthiest, most natural weight” — which is more positive. This resolution sounds a little vague now, but we’ll fix that in just a moment!

 

Step #2: Make It Unique or Unexpected

As you probably know, most people come up with resolutions that are so generic; it would be hard to distinguish them from anyone else. “Lose 10 pounds”… “get in shape”… “quit smoking”… “make more money” and so on — reflect the same language used by countless people all over.

Instead, think more deeply about your goal or resolution and aim to personalize it — make it unique to you! For example, instead of just losing weight or even reaching your ideal weight, you can think of something specific that sets it apart. Perhaps there’s a certain dress or outfit that you’d love to look amazing in — or maybe you want to reach a level of fitness or flexibility, where you can perform a specific activity such as a long run or hike or intense yoga series.

This is personalized goal, not generic, and it helps you with the next tip — which is…

Step #3: Have a Powerful WHY

Another thing that will prevent you from burning out or forgetting about your goal or resolution is having a deep and meaningful reason why you want it. Maybe you want to shed weight because it’s a reflection of your health and wellness, and being healthy is one of your deepest values. Perhaps you want fitness because with more energy you’ll have more ability to help others in your life, and experience more of the gifts life has to offer.

It’s really important to think deeply about this, meditate on it if you need to, so that the reason you discover is something that truly matters to you. If you “why” is not strong enough, you probably won’t have enough motivation or focus to propel you beyond any challenges or setbacks, which are inevitable.

Step #4: Make It Concrete and Tangible!

Some will say your goals should be measurable — but that’s not always possible. How do you measure detoxification, or your energy levels, or how young you feel? It’s not easy and I think potentially counterproductive to focus too much on numbers.

Instead, I recommend writing your goal or resolution down on paper (I’m actually a big fan of writing my goals out on a vision board — it’s uncanny how they all seem to happen!) This brings it from the world of thought into the physical world, and one Harvard study proved that the mere act of writing out your goals was magical. In their MBA class, the 3% who wrote their goals down earned 10 times more than the other 97% of students combined!

In addition to writing down your goal, I think journaling is an effective way of making your experience and progress tangible. For example, if your resolution is to detox so that you look younger and feel more energized each day, you can do a short daily journal entry on your progress, how you feel, the changes you see, and just document the process. This is so powerful; it’s hard to overstate the importance of this simple habit! [2]

Step #5: Bring In More Believability!

This tip is so often overlooked, and I think it’s because so many individuals don’t realize how much limiting beliefs and thoughts affect them on a daily basis. To understand what I mean, let’s say that your resolution is to do yoga for one hour each morning. That’s a great resolution, especially if you follow the other tips I’m giving in this post.

But there might be a problem! Because what if you’ve tried doing yoga for one hour many times in the past, and then not succeeded. It’s possible that at this point there’s part of you that doesn’t believe this goal is possible. And that lack of belief could sabotage you during the process of working on it.

This is why it’s so important to do an inventory of beliefs you have around your goal or resolution — noticing if you have any limiting ones. At the same time, you can also be thinking up all the reasons why you know it’s possible for you to follow through. Think of every possible reason — how you prepared, your motivation, the environment you’re creating to make this goal a reality. By the end of this process, any limiting beliefs should be weakened or gone, and you should feel confident that you can and will reach your destination.

Note: I discuss the power of thoughts and beliefs extensively in The Beauty Detox Power — and you’ll get a ton of deep insight into how your thoughts shape everything from your weight to your health, relationships and more.

Step #6: Expand Your Emotional Connection

One of the reasons why I’m not fond of calorie counting is that we are not machines. We do things more from our heart and the way we feel, than from facts and figures. This is why it’s critically important to find an emotional point of connection to your goal or resolution — because that will engage you far more than any number.

The example I gave earlier about fitting into a dress you love illustrates that perfectly. It’s easy to imagine how amazing you’ll feel in that dress… your sense of confidence… the glow or radiance you’ll feel… you get the point. Or the exhilaration you’ll feel in successfully performing a challenging yoga sequence that you have to work your way up to. Or completing an intense hike or race.

Once you’re clear on your goal or resolution, visualize how you will feel when it’s a reality — connect to the emotion of success and fulfillment. Bathe in that amazing feeling! And then bring that feeling to the actions you take each day, feeling as though your success is happening now and is inevitable.

Step #7: Imagine Your Story!

As human beings, few things move us more than stories — we remember stories far more than information in any other form. Stories have been part of civilization for thousands of years for that very reason, and we are hard-wired to respond to a great story. In fact, much of The Beauty Detox Power is in a story form, telling aspects of my and clients’  (with names changed of course) journeys.

This very much applies to your goals and resolutions. Ask yourself, “What is my story?” Think about your journey, and about the process of where you are now and where you’ll be when your resolution is a reality. You are the hero of your story, and it’s exciting to imagine that this is an epic journey you are embarking on — starting now!

It can even be helpful to write out your story in advance. Start with the present moment, and then project out all the things that will happen on your journey, finishing with you ultimately reaching the place you intended to be. Having this story in mind will give meaning and sticking power to the daily process that you undergo, and help make everything you want to create a reality.

Wishing You All the Best in 2015!

I’m eager for you to apply this information — I know it will make a profound difference in your experience of setting new resolutions for 2015. I’m also incredibly excited for all that we have in store for you this upcoming year, from the release of The Beauty Detox Power …to new programs like our Yoga Course… to brand-new nutritional and beauty supplements and more.

And that’s not even including all the great content we’ll be sharing here on the blog, our social channels, our podcast (yes we are bringing it back, by popular demand!), videos and other areas. This is going to be the most exciting year ever, and I’m incredibly grateful that you’re here with us in this community.

What a journey this will be! Have a safe and happy holiday tonight, and I’ll be in touch again soon — in 2015!

Love,

Kimberly

P.S. — Today is the LAST day to get the 24/7 Fat Loss Course FREE with your pre-order of The Beauty Detox Power. I don’t want you to miss out on getting it, as the course will go on sale for full price in January at some point.

Research:

[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/dandiamond/2013/01/01/just-8-of-people-achieve-their-new-years-resolutions-heres-how-they-did-it/

[2] https://www.forbes.com/sites/85broads/2014/04/08/why-you-should-be-writing-down-your-goals/