Nope, It’s Not Your Quit Day!

Did you set a resolution or intention this year?  It’s January 16, have you let it go?  Reportedly, 80% of Americans let go of their New Year’s Resolutions by the second Friday in January.  That was January 9th!  9 days in and we throw in the towel.  There’s good reason for this and why instead of promoting resolution/goal setting this year, I encourage intention setting around how you want to feel instead.

And,

It’s not too late!  If you threw in the towel last Friday, it’s ok!  Come on back! 

Here’s the thing – yes, we may want to lose 10 pounds.  Yes, we may want to exercise more.  Or maybe you want to feel more balanced in your life, not as tired all the time, or less stressed!  Yes to that or whatever else you’re thinking.  I don’t know about you, but for me,

A goal without a plan, does not get done.

(I want to lose 10 lbs).

An intention is, by definition, a plan and has to do with purpose.

(I want to feel like I’m taking care of my health).

To approach something with purpose usually involves an emotion.

(My purpose is to live long, enjoy my family, participate in life, serve others).

Consider not the end goal, but how do you want to ultimately feel?  If you know it’s time to take care of your health, consider how that would make you feel?  Would you like to feel lighter?  Would you like to feel better?  Would you like to feel more energized for each day?  Would you like to feel better in your clothes?  By creating the image in our mind of how we want to feel, we may see ourselves pulling on clothes and smiling, making our way through the day with energy to do more, not barely enough.  Our purpose begins to take shape.

Once you have a strong sense of how you want to feel, and your purpose becomes clear, reflect on what you need to do to feel that way.  Let’s take another example – you want to feel stronger.  What does that look like?  What is your purpose?  You want to be able to pick up your kids?  Grandkids?  Luggage?  You want to carry groceries or hold a plank for 1 minute.  Whatever “stronger” looks like for you, now explore what you need to do to be stronger.  Lay out a plan, if you need to build muscle, decide if joining a gym and working with weights 2-3x/week works for you.  Not a gym person?  No sweat, there are plenty of bodyweight exercises we can do at home with no equipment whatsoever.  What’s key here is to decide what you will do, when you will do it, how long will you do it, and what intensity.  How will you set yourself up for success?  How will you ensure you take yourself from the “I plan to do…” to “I will do….”?

You see where I’m going with this and we can talk about your individual plans when you’re ready.  For now, if you “quit” your New Year’s Resolution(s), realize that today is a new day!  Come back and re-intend!  I believe I just made up a word.  Reframe your resolution into an intention, a feeling, a purpose. 

Let me know how this works for you!  Join our facebook group, “Flourishing Empowerment” for accountability and community.  Contact me directly for guidance and support.

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