Moving down our list of tips, today's post is essentially a sequel to something I wrote last year (I'm always happy when a year later I look at something and still consider it valid - it makes it feel a little more concrete).
Last January I was inundated with the emotions of others. Lots of people were expressing a lot of emotions and I wrote a blog for them entitled “Enjoy”. Hopefully today’s tip will be pre-emptive and help us move forward on our “Resolution Road Trip”.
Last January I was inundated with the emotions of others. Lots of people were expressing a lot of emotions and I wrote a blog for them entitled “Enjoy”. Hopefully today’s tip will be pre-emptive and help us move forward on our “Resolution Road Trip”.
TIP #3 – ENJOY IT
Resulting from the realizations I had last year, I now include this thought in pretty much all of my discussions with clients and people looking for advice on how to move forward: "Do things in a way that will keep you happy. Start to pick away and remove the superfluous BS from your life that you do not enjoy. If you’re not enjoying something, figure out why the hell you’re doing it."
So as you sit down and begin to create your Plan of Action (PoA for all you acronymically-inclined people out there – and yes, acronymically is MY word) ask yourself the question, “Will I enjoy doing this?” And as you answer, be 100% honest with yourself. Is it just that this sounds hard and I don’t really feel like exerting myself? Do I really know that I won’t enjoy this particular choice? A tough workout might seem daunting, and may even leave us a bit sore, but the feelings of accomplishment afterward may be overshadowing.
If you don’t like running, it doesn’t make sense to include running 3 times a week in your PoA. If you don’t like fish, it becomes counterproductive to state that you are going to start eating white fish twice a week as a good source of protein. You will begin to loathe that particular activity, it will become burdensome and before you know it, you’ll be finding any and every excuse in the book not to do it. Suddenly we are not following our PoA and we become frustrated and prone to giving up.
Resulting from the realizations I had last year, I now include this thought in pretty much all of my discussions with clients and people looking for advice on how to move forward: "Do things in a way that will keep you happy. Start to pick away and remove the superfluous BS from your life that you do not enjoy. If you’re not enjoying something, figure out why the hell you’re doing it."
So as you sit down and begin to create your Plan of Action (PoA for all you acronymically-inclined people out there – and yes, acronymically is MY word) ask yourself the question, “Will I enjoy doing this?” And as you answer, be 100% honest with yourself. Is it just that this sounds hard and I don’t really feel like exerting myself? Do I really know that I won’t enjoy this particular choice? A tough workout might seem daunting, and may even leave us a bit sore, but the feelings of accomplishment afterward may be overshadowing.
If you don’t like running, it doesn’t make sense to include running 3 times a week in your PoA. If you don’t like fish, it becomes counterproductive to state that you are going to start eating white fish twice a week as a good source of protein. You will begin to loathe that particular activity, it will become burdensome and before you know it, you’ll be finding any and every excuse in the book not to do it. Suddenly we are not following our PoA and we become frustrated and prone to giving up.
If the answer to the question “Will I enjoy doing this?” is legitimately “yes” – perfect! If the answer is “I don’t know”, place an asterix beside it, revisit this later, and if you truly find yourself not enjoying it, think of how to remedy this. If you immediately spout “NO WAY”, think of other things that you will enjoy doing that lead toward the same result. Yes, some of these alternatives may take a little longer and appear as more of a scenic route, but hopefully we’ve come to terms with the fact that this journey is more of a marathon than a sprint. And hey, you may find that as you proceed along your resolution road trip and you revisit your PoA, some of the things that made you initially curl up your nose may become a little more appealing - so keep an open mind.
As we look to develop habits which will help us endure this road trip until our final destination, we must surround ourselves with things that make us smile. It sets us up for being able to sustain these behaviours once we have reached our destination. Arriving at our final destination smiling makes staying there a lot more promising.
As we look to develop habits which will help us endure this road trip until our final destination, we must surround ourselves with things that make us smile. It sets us up for being able to sustain these behaviours once we have reached our destination. Arriving at our final destination smiling makes staying there a lot more promising.
Please feel free to comment below, on my Facebook Page or on Twitter (#ResolutionRoadTrip).
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