It doesn’t matter what behavior we’re talking about, you can’t convince people to change. Each person has to decide for his or herself that they have reached a point where change is needed. There is no such thing as “forcing it,” not when it comes to holistic, from the inside out, kind of change.

When 2016 was ending you may have noticed a lot of attention turned to the topic of New Year’s resolutions.

“I’ll never eat junk food again!”
“I’m going to save 75% of my income!”
“I’m going to workout 2 hours every day!”

When did making New Year’s resolutions turn into asking Genie to grant us three magic wishes?

Before jumping into specific tasks to get results, it’s even more important get clear about what your intention is first if you plan to have sustainable results. Below is a brief exercise that I use with audiences when I present to groups. It’s my own take on some life coaching I’ve received in different forms over the years to help people get in touch with the vision that they have for their life (because the last thing you want to base your goals on are someone else’s desires).

1.Soften your eyes and your body. Take a full inhale and exhale 3 times. Now ask yourself, “What do I desire my life to look like (1, 5 or even 20) years from now? (pick just one duration of time. Specificity is important).

1a. Ask yourself “Where do I live? Who is in my life? What do I do everyday?” Let that vision get full and colorful for you. Do not judge and do not get hung up on detail.

2.When details emerge in the answer to those questions, ask yourself, “To fulfill living that life I desire, how do I need my body to look, feel, and function?”

Now you can start your goal setting. Follow that goal setting with a tangible strategy and you’ll be even more likely to achieve it.

I’m so glad the hype about New Year’s resolutions is over. Let’s get down to actually living. It is January. It is 2017. Today is a new day. Make new choices and don’t forget to celebrate yourself!

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