The best way to keep a New Years Resolution is simply not to make one! Okay, okay, I guess, at some point, many people have the desire to climb in the upward direction. But, how do you keep from falling of that ladder?
PICK THE RIGHT LADDER
You are the builder of your future. You must be able to identify what step YOU are ready to take, what course YOU are trying change and how far, wide and fast YOU are willing to reach. Each person has that little voice inside that whispers what really matters to you so stealing someone else’s resolution may send you up the wrong road. You must be able to identify what step YOU are ready to take, what course YOU are trying change and how far, wide and fast YOU are willing to reach. Roy Bard, Award Winning publisher, said, ” The stronger one’s faith in the goal or cherished the purpose, the greater the force and flow of the enthusiasm for reaching the goal.” That’s great! Cherish YOUR purpose, have faith in YOUR goal!
A good example is the difference in why people choose to start running and who ends up sticking with it. Those who stick with it are those who are running as a means to accomplishing the “real” goal that could be anything like “I want to feel better, I want to show myself I can do hard things, I want to relieve stress and etc.” The actual act of running is only an external indicator of the internal commitment to becoming a happier, healthier, more charactered person. It is much easier to get out the door when you have the reason for going firmly planted. Of course, picking an event to train for really helps on some of those days too, but to make your resolution stick year after year always look beyond the race itself for the reason for the real journey.
DON’T BE AFRAID TO FALL
Falling is not failing! The moral crime is committed when the ladder is never chosen or when people jump down because they let the fear of falling get to them. Don’t be tempted to abandon the attempt to commit. It is completely normal and usually expected that you will mess up, miss days, want to give up and etc. The best thing about life is that there is always another day with another sunrise. It’s okay to recommit on a sometimes daily basis since the expectation of complete and perfect change does not always happen right away. As long as you stay. On. The. Ladder. You will always have another opportunity to climb and that is a great and continued source of hope!
So you miss a run, you eat wrong for a day or forget to take your vitamins. No big deal! Try again tomorrow. Learn what daily routine and/or training,meal plan works best for you and keep on learning and growing. That’s where entering an event that happens 4-6 months down to road really can help. At some point, you have to get up, wipe off and GO RUN!
FOCUS ON THE ACT OF CLIMBING
Words don’t change behavior, actions change behavior. This goes back to making a good personal commitment to begin with. Stop talking about what you want to get done and just commit to the daily ritual and habits required to make the climb. Make your schedule ahead of time and get busy doing it without immediate judgement on whether or not you like it or will do it tomorrow. If you let discomfort or inconvenience deter you, then you may risk not being willing to grab the next rung. Just keep climbing, grabbing and moving. No talking or judging, just doing.
Instead of asking yourself everyday if you are going to workout, just WORKOUT. We all know that training can be tiring, hard, uncomfortable and sometimes boring, but results only come when the training continues on. When a commitment settles fully in the heart, all concerns about time, pain and fear are erased so that mindset should be a part of anyone’s training goals. “I run no matter what. I will do so that I will become. I enjoy the challenge of action so I will always continue to climb.”
LOOK WHERE YOU WANT TO GO
Whatever you focus on grows! You get what you focus on so if you want to keep ascending the ladder, then keep your eye on the next rung or two. It’s always easier to pull yourself up, when you shift your mind from the difficulty of the movement over to where you are moving to. That is another reason why chosing your ladder wisely is a very important part of the process. You have got to be so passionate about where you want to go that it is a little be easier to always be looking that direction. You have got to want it really bad and then keep it always on your mind. Some people write their goal/resolution down and stare at it everyday to keep looking up. Whatever method you decide to use, make it a positive reminder of where you are going, which is up! Right?
Another week of running, another training cycle, another race, a new, faster, stronger, leaner you. The sky is the limit! The wonderful part of pursuing health and fitness is that you can always be a little better somehow. There is always an up to look for. Time passes, but your goals don’t have to. Game on!