"Successful New Year’s Resolutions"

with Ernest VanDenBossche BCH,CI

New Years Resolutions!!! Have you ever made them? I expect so, but have you ever accomplished them? Have you ever stopped to wonder why, so often, you haven’t been able to reach your goal???

Year after year people make more and more New Years Resolutions but few people follow through with them and then it’s just another new year and another series of failed resolutions. Whether it is to stop smoking, loose weight, change habits, or to be able to get into an elevator, the plan is good, but the will, is weak.  Why doesn’t it happen for you? What is the missing key?  So why are these good intentions so unsuccessful?  Why do people fail?

People just seem to fall off their new track and back onto the old one. They can’t seem to make a change of habit. They don’t take the time. They don’t keep up the positive self talk. They don’t make a real plan to reach their goal. They can’t get their head around it!

Here’s a plan to create suggestions (affirmations) to say to yourself, rather relaxing or on the go. Just do it. Regardless of what your New Year’s resolution is write a suggestion or a series of suggestions that you can feed your mind throughout the day. Read these simple rules of self-suggestion and create your own.

1. Make it Simple – Short and sweet and to the point. The simpler the suggestion the easier the mind can compute and follow.

2. Make it Positive – Do not use words in your resolution like not, don’t and want.  (I don’t smoke cigarettes) instead say, “I am a non-smoker.”

3. Make it Believable – Your goal should be realistic. “I’m going to lose 50 pounds this month” is not realistic, your mind will not accept it, and you will not achieve it.  Saying, “I eat healthy nutritious food in the proper proportions and exercise daily so that I lose 4-10 pounds this month,” is believable and more achievable.

4. Make it in the Present Tense – For example, “I will eat properly” always puts the action into the future, “I will” means later, not in the moment.  “I am” means doing something in the present and requires actions now. Don’t use the word “will” when making your resolution. Start NOW.

5. Make it Measurable –Plan how much and when. Without a measure you might not find the time in the day necessary to dedicate to your goal. You need to project when and how much time and effort you will realistically devote.  “I walk 30 minutes every morning at 6:00.” See, it contains how much and when, you can measure your time with it. You get it done.

6. Make it Have a Reward – Our minds have the habit of looking for rewards. That’s a good habit so include it in your plan. Most everything we do has a reward. You work, you get paid. You help someone, you feel good. You do a good thing, you treat yourself. Don’t make the reward something that goes against your goal like, “eat right all day and reward with a candy”. Not! How about simply: “eat right all day and feel great about myself” that’s rewarding for a change.

So here’s an example of a positive suggestion for reaching optimal weight:

“I walk 30 minutes every morning at 6:00 and feel great about myself.”

See if this resolutions affirmation meets the six part criteria.

1. Positive – Yes, no negative words are used.
2. Believable – Yes, unless you can’t walk.
3. Present tense – Yes, no future or past tens.
4. Simple – Yes, a single sentence that is very specific
5. Measurable – Yes, every morning, 6:00, 30 minutes
6. Reward – Yes, feel great about myself.

Ok, so what’s your New Year’s Resolution? What do you want for yourself. Who you going to be? Do you seek change?

Create powerful suggestions to feed your subconscious mind over and over making a new more satisfying habit than the one you left behind.

See, it’s a plan. Don’t underestimate the power of the subconscious mind.

 Ernest VanDenBossche is a board certified hypnotherapist and a certified instructor with the National Guild of Hypnotists (www.ngh.net).

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