Friday 3 February 2017

February 3, 2017 Chautauqua




Beth's Ponderings

   We are now a whole month - hard to believe, I know - into the new year.  How are you doing with your New Year’s resolutions?  That is, if you are the type to make resolutions.

   Most people, even if they don’t formally make resolutions, do have a thought or two of how they would like to make some sort of lifestyle change, or do something different in their lives, or just add new adventures, as it is a new year.

   We feel, since the calendar has changed to a fresh new year, that we need to do something fresh and new too.

   There is nothing wrong with that line of thinking, however, I recently read something that turned the whole resolution thing on its head.

   Instead of resolving to make habit changes such as the typical “lose weight” or “exercise more,” or resolving to make some other radical lifestyle change, we should ask ourselves “what worked for me last year?”

   By identifying what habits or lifestyle choices did work, we can then bring them along with us into the new year and build on them, creating more success.

   We tend to take for granted what is working in our lives, which is a whole lot more than we think since it tends to get overshadowed by the one or two things that don’t work.  Yet, by focusing on, and continuing, patterns of behaviour that do work, and come more naturally to us, and create value in our lives, we are more likely to phase out the habits and lifestyle choices that don’t benefit us as much.

   Humans have a tendency to resist change - especially change that we think we “should” want, but don’t really.  Or changes that we just “know” are going to be hard and challenging, and not any fun at all.

   And by focussing on how difficult it is to change, we end up sabotaging our efforts, and subsequently just give up.

    The only really successful change is the one that leads to relaxation and ease, not struggle and anguish.  Thus, by strengthening our good habits we create change that sneaks in the back door so the changes happen, almost like magic without our knowing.   

Beth


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