New Year, New You...Right?

New Year, New You...Right?

"I'm going to exercise more", "I'm going to eat healthier", "I'm going to mitigate my spending and save", "I'm going to finally start that damn side hustle and turn it into my new career!" WOO!

If you're like me, you've probably said all or a variation of these to yourself with full intention of starting your new year's resolutions on January 1st...or maybe the 2nd once the hangover wears off. 

You get a few weeks in - maybe a few months, you're feeling great and crushing it when all of a sudden that old friend temptation starts creepin'.

Your brain whispers you sweet nothings like, "stay in bed a little longer", "skip the workout today, just go tomorrow" or "buy all the things, you just got paid!"

It can be the beginning of a slippery slope, friend and this blog is going to help you avoid it.

The first step to winning the battle is to understand that you are your own worst enemy.

Read that again. 

Our brains are designed to keep us comfortable and safe. Not jump into the unknown.

The good news: you can change your mindset. It's like working your muscles and hitting the gym. Do it once and you won't see any results. Get those reps in and you'll be right as rain!

The cliché, "if I can do it, so can you" fits perfect here.

(A quick side note: it's important to note that the following tips are based off of my own experiences dealing with self doubt and self help. I'm not a licensed anything or have a degree in psychology etc. These tips just work for me and I hope they work for you!)

4 Life Tips That Have Helped Me Immensely:

TIP 1: Tell yourself: "Today, I get to..." instead of I have to. Flip the situational perspective to something positive happening.

When we say we have to do something we subconsciously imply that we didn't really want to do it to begin with.

But when we say "Today, I get to go for a walk." or "Today I get to work on my side hustle." It hits different.

It validates of the importance of being here, in the present and if nothing else, serves as a  reminder that we are extremely lucky to be here.

Go ahead, try it out loud to yourself right now. Whatever your goal is. "Today, I get to..."

This one tip alone has worked so well for me that you could probably stop reading right now and win. But I digress...

TIP 2: Stop making "to-do" lists.

There's a BIG difference between setting goals and making a to-do list.

Goals actually matter to you and will change your life for the better once completed. They require consistency, discipline and a degree of practical thought-to-action to be a success. 

And to-do lists are usually filled with mundane things often for the sole purpose of filling the list up with shit to do.

In other words, of the 99 times out of 100 I've made a to-do list, they end up being a complete waste of time.

TIP 3: When you're feeling stuck or unmotivated and tips 1 and 2 aren't working, ASK FOR HELP.

Reach out to people, that's what we're here for!

We, as a species, love communicating. We love happiness and seeing others win because when you win, we all win. That shit is infectious and there needs to be more of it than the alternative. Would you rather be the best version of yourself or the worst? Similar to it's sibling - negativity, you will be surprised at the amount of help that is out there when you go looking for it! 

TIP 4: Realize that it's not always going to be sunshine and rainbows out there. You're going to have bad days. Everyone moves at different paces and sets different levels of what their own version of success is.

When you're starting the process of taking action toward completing your goals, you shouldn't take massive, unrealistic steps. It will overwhelm you. Instead, set practical, small goals toward completing the big goal(s) and achieve them one at a time. 

A quick example:

GOAL: "I want to lose 50lbs and improve my stamina so I'm not winded walking up the damn stairs."

HOW? Eating healthy and exercising.

WHEN? This is something I want for the rest of my life.

PLAN: (For arguments sake, this person is brand new to eating healthy and exercising)

> Every Sunday, spend 1 hour cooking and preparing your meals (primarily lunch, snacks and supper) for the week and ALWAYS make time for breakfast. Research ftw. (for the win)

Consider consulting with a pro like a nutritionist or a trainer for additional help! Google and YouTube are great source-tools as well. 

> Start out walking 30 min to an hour 4-5 times a week outside. Nature is a wonderful thing.

> Once you feel ready for more, research and incorporate a workout into your routine that you'd like to try (Gym/weights/machines, Yoga, Hiking, Swimming, Biking, Surfing etc.)

Again, when in doubt Google it out! Or reach out to people who do these for a living.

> Keep a record of your progress through a journal or phone apps.

> Repeat! Stick with it. Be consistent, remember why you started in the first place.

MOVING FORWARD >> As a general rule: Cut the bs. That includes lying to yourself, lying to others and keeping or tolerating toxic people you may have in your life.

Ask yourself, is what you're doing the thing you really want? Or are you doing it because you think it's what others expect of you? 

Just remember, you've got this. You always have. Life is mental. Never settle!

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this little blurb, consider subscribing to the newsletter. You'll get notifications to your inbox when new blogs are written, new arrivals drop and all things Arcadia & friends! 

Leave a comment

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.