Millions of us start out the new year with the best intentions, ready to do differently and better than ever. We set goals around everything from eating healthier, exercising more, increasing productivity, to connecting more deeply with the ones we love…. and almost every one of us fails to reach our goal. Why? Because if our goals are based on externally driven motives that have a distant end zone, they are doomed from the start.
Externally driven motives looks something like this:
“I want to lose weight because I look like a fat slob."
“When I attract a partner who loves me then I can be happy.”
“Once I finish all of the projects at work, then I can relax.”
But take heart: here’s how to set yourself up for success! Learn to recognize when your goals are connected to external motivators and then reframe them to have a more internal, sensory based meaning.
Internal motives look like this:
“I am going to nourish my body with excellent food and move in a way that feels good every day so that I can feel as vibrant and alive as possible.”
“I am going to start a project of finding ways to be happy every day so that I can attract someone who is as happy and whole as I am.”
“I am going to commit to relaxing at some point every day so that I have the clarity and energy I need to do everything I want to do.”
Internally driven motives do a couple of things for you. First, they give you a much more loving and compassionate foundation to base your choices on which makes it easier to get back on track when you start to veer from your goals. And second, you are not waiting for a future event (that too-distant end zone) to take place in order to experience the pleasure, fulfillment, and happiness you crave right now.
So where do you start?
For some lucky people, you may already have a very clear idea of what you want and how it will make you feel to have it. More commonly we only have a sense of wanting things to be different but not sure where to start or how to make it happen. Here are two suggestions which you can tie into your New Year’s intentions or use anytime you want more clarity and forward movement:
Perform a clearing ritual
Here’s a simple one. Take 2 pieces of paper; on one write down everything you want to let go of, on the other write down what you want you want to invite more of into your life. Take the paper with everything to be released and burn it (safely) or you can tear it up and throw it into a running stream. The other page gets pinned up somewhere where you can see it regularly (or if it works better for you, put it on your phone or computer as the screen saver).
Shake up your routine
This can be as simple as driving a different way to work, switching up the type of exercise you usually do, or adding in 5 minutes of stillness everyday when you are used to a go, go, go lifestyle… OR It can be as challenging as taking on a detox that has you diving into self-care in a whole new way.
I like both of these approaches to shaking up routines, although, I have to admit that when I want to really reset and re-energize I need a big step back from my normal, daily patterns and there's nothing that accomplishes that better than a full-on detox. If you want to experience what it's like to dive deep into self-care I'd love for you to join me this January for my Mind Body Spirit detox that is going to support all of the essential elements for vibrant health, mental clarity, and inner peace.
Click here to register and see complete details:
Mind - Body - Spirit Detox
Wishing you a joyous, healthy, amazing New Year!
Janna
Externally driven motives looks something like this:
“I want to lose weight because I look like a fat slob."
“When I attract a partner who loves me then I can be happy.”
“Once I finish all of the projects at work, then I can relax.”
But take heart: here’s how to set yourself up for success! Learn to recognize when your goals are connected to external motivators and then reframe them to have a more internal, sensory based meaning.
Internal motives look like this:
“I am going to nourish my body with excellent food and move in a way that feels good every day so that I can feel as vibrant and alive as possible.”
“I am going to start a project of finding ways to be happy every day so that I can attract someone who is as happy and whole as I am.”
“I am going to commit to relaxing at some point every day so that I have the clarity and energy I need to do everything I want to do.”
Internally driven motives do a couple of things for you. First, they give you a much more loving and compassionate foundation to base your choices on which makes it easier to get back on track when you start to veer from your goals. And second, you are not waiting for a future event (that too-distant end zone) to take place in order to experience the pleasure, fulfillment, and happiness you crave right now.
So where do you start?
For some lucky people, you may already have a very clear idea of what you want and how it will make you feel to have it. More commonly we only have a sense of wanting things to be different but not sure where to start or how to make it happen. Here are two suggestions which you can tie into your New Year’s intentions or use anytime you want more clarity and forward movement:
Perform a clearing ritual
Here’s a simple one. Take 2 pieces of paper; on one write down everything you want to let go of, on the other write down what you want you want to invite more of into your life. Take the paper with everything to be released and burn it (safely) or you can tear it up and throw it into a running stream. The other page gets pinned up somewhere where you can see it regularly (or if it works better for you, put it on your phone or computer as the screen saver).
Shake up your routine
This can be as simple as driving a different way to work, switching up the type of exercise you usually do, or adding in 5 minutes of stillness everyday when you are used to a go, go, go lifestyle… OR It can be as challenging as taking on a detox that has you diving into self-care in a whole new way.
I like both of these approaches to shaking up routines, although, I have to admit that when I want to really reset and re-energize I need a big step back from my normal, daily patterns and there's nothing that accomplishes that better than a full-on detox. If you want to experience what it's like to dive deep into self-care I'd love for you to join me this January for my Mind Body Spirit detox that is going to support all of the essential elements for vibrant health, mental clarity, and inner peace.
Click here to register and see complete details:
Mind - Body - Spirit Detox
Wishing you a joyous, healthy, amazing New Year!
Janna
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