Making New Year’s Resolutions that ‘stick’

One of the best things about New Year’s Resolutions is that everyone seems to be on board.  All of the things we’ve been saying we want to do is echoed at work, in our homes, and on social media. 

2021 kinda started off with a whimper, though—what with January 1st falling on a Friday and most of us putting off our resolutions until Monday…and in some cases…February. 

#dryfebruary has mysteriously replaced #dryjanuary in my social media universe.

Sometimes, even with cultural validation, resolutions don’t stick because we make decisions about our health, our minds, and our bodies based on who others tell us we should be.  Do I really need to lose 25lbs, spend more time meditating, drink less, travel the world, watch less TV, exercise more, and look for a new career? If the only motivation we have is “that’s what I’m supposed to do”, then it’s hard to stay on task. The ‘Why’ is at the core of this.hero.life.

Until we’ve created our own narrative in which we are the main character—the hero—it's hard to stick with the changes that are necessary. So as you think about the resolutions you’ve made, take a moment to think about what your hero self stands for. What does s/he look like. How does s/he live out passion? 

Transformation is really difficult. 

It’s not just that visualizing your hero self will make your resolution more ‘sticky’, it helps with creativity. Rather than saying, “I can't go there” or “I can’t spend time with those people”, we find ways to live our best life: Eating before going out with friends; scheduling job training on the weekend morning when we’re fresh; asking family to respect our meditation time in return for a home-cooked dinner or piggy-back rides on demand. 

The hero self isn't striving to conform or sacrifice, it yearns to achieve ever more—regardless of the obstacles.

ps: please take time to support Veterans Drinking Vodka and the new Article XV podcast--they're doing great work to provide support for veterans all over.

pps: if you're looking for more, check out my newest podcast, another podcast I did with New Books Network, and another veteran podcast I did called Article XV (Veterans Drinking Vodka).