New Year’s Resolutions – Good or Bad Idea?

With the countdown at midnight behind us, the celebration and the festivities over, many people focus their attention on the improvements that they feel they want to or need to make. We call these our resolutions. While we have every intention that January 1st will be the start of a new year and possibly a renewed life, it also brings with it immense pressure to do or be something that could be doomed from the start.

The guilt of overindulgence during the holidays has left us with the feeling that a new year brings with it a blank slate and along with it a chance to right “the wrongs” of the previous year. While self-improvement is not a negative thing, it can be intimidating and overwhelming if given too much attention and is scrutinized too much. How do we set achievable goals without incurring more stress and pressure than we actually need?

• Resolve to give yourself positive reinforcement for all the things that you love about yourself. Resolutions have a way of focussing on what we think is not good enough, is bad or that we need to change. Try spending as much energy focussing on what you are proud of as you do on the things that you want to improve.
• Be realistic – This might be obvious but start with a couple of smaller improvements and work your way toward the bigger goals. This helps gain confidence in the fact that you can set and achieve goals. Setting too big of a resolution can be intimidating and you feel defeated before you even begin. It also helps with momentum as you realize that you can accomplish what you set your mind and your focus to achieve.
• Embrace the setbacks – Too often we think that if we set a resolution there is no room for error; a type of all or nothing attitude. This is simply not true. If we stumble or “cheat”, more often than not we want to throw up our hands and quit. The best way to overcome a set-back is to allow yourself to be human, dust yourself off and pick up where you left off. Life isn’t perfect and neither are you.

Bottom line – Resolutions can be a positive step forward on the road to a healthier you. Simply having the mindset that today your goal is to be better than you were yesterday, will have you thinking positively which makes all the difference in relation to achieving the results that you deserve.

Contributed by Bonnie Hertzog, R.H.N.
hertzogholistics.com