Make These 3 Changes Now, and Start the New Decade Off Mentally Stronger Than Ever
These exercises will help you build the mental strength you need to reach your goals
Source | www.inc.com | AMY MORIN
Most New Year’s resolutions will fail dismally by the second or third week of January. Reminding you that your good intentions to change your life probably won’t last isn’t meant to discourage you from setting a goal for yourself, however.
Instead, the reminder that most New Year’s resolutions fail is a reminder that you can take steps to help you beat the odds. Make a few changes now and you’ll enter the New Year feeling mentally strong enough to crush your goals–and you’ll skyrocket your chances of success.
1. Switch up your self-talk.
The conversations you have with yourself affect how you feel and how you behave. But if you’re like most people, you probably pay very little attention to the way you speak to yourself.
After all, you’ve been narrating your life for a long time–and you’re used to hearing the same old monologue every single day.
If you want to change your life, switch up the way you talk to yourself. Here are some changes you could make:
- Trade self-criticism for self-compassion. Calling yourself names and beating yourself up will prevent you from doing your best. When you notice you’re being unkind to yourself, respond with more compassionate words. Talk to yourself the same way you’d talk to a trusted friend, and you’ll not only feel better, but studies show you’ll also perform better.
- Argue the opposite. When you find yourself thinking of all the things that could go wrong or the reasons you’re doomed to fail, argue the opposite. List all the ways things might go right or all the reasons why you might succeed. This can help you see that your negative thoughts aren’t facts, and you can develop a more realistic outlook.
- List some logical reasons why. When you lack motivation to keep going, you’ll find tons of excuses for giving up. The best way to counteract those excuses is to list all the logical reasons why you should keep going.
2. Give up a counterproductive bad habit.
You could have all the good habits in the world, but you won’t reach your greatest potential unless you give up the bad habits that are holding you back.
Imagine a runner training for the Olympics. She works out several hours a day, eats a healthy diet, and works with a coach to help her compete. And while she keeps working hard to stick to her good habits, she continues to smoke two packs of cigarettes every day.
That sounds silly, right? But that’s what we often do in real life.
