If you do what you’ve always done…
…you’ll get what you’ve always got.
Or so the saying goes.
Over the years I’ve found this to be very true for me and New Year Resolutions.
I’d find the idea of a New Year and the possibility of a New Me to be really exciting and make all kinds of resolutions – exercise more, eat better, drink less alcohol, be more organised, keep a diary, write a book, change the business, get up earlier etc etc.
And like so many other people my resolutions would last, if I really tried hard, until the end of January at the most before I’d fall back to old habits and then I’d feel disappointed and frustrated with myself and my ‘lack of discipline’!
So last year I decided not to set such high expectations for myself and instead focussed on gentler ‘intentions’ and how I’d like the year to look and feel.
And now, looking back over 2013, I’m delighted to find how many of those intentions became reality.
Thinking forward to 2014 I realise I’m not looking for major changes, just more of the same and continuing to build and consolidate what last year brought. Nice to not feel disappointed with myself!
I’ve learned that if I’m compassionate with myself, rather than critical and judging (as I’ve tended to be for most of my life), far from ‘letting myself off the hook’, I achieve so much more.
So I do have some intentions for my health and fitness for 2014, but they are things I want to do, rather than have to do and I want to achieve them through making compassionate choices, not through denial or discipline.
I’ll let you know how I get on!
