It’s a simple question that will produce a lot of excuses. We are currently in the middle of March and all I’m asking is if you are still sticking with your New Year’s Resolutions? The answer for most people would be no. There are 12 months in a year and yet you have a problem staying committed through the first three? Why is that? Did you just lose motivation? Did you allow distractions to get in the way? Did your accountability team/partner fail at keeping you accountable? Did you lose that spark? Only a legit few have reasons why they were not able to stick to their resolutions. Everyone else has excuses. But the question is why do you choose to do this to yourself every single year? You make the same resolutions only to produce the same results. Are you comfortable with lying to yourself? I know, that question stings a little bit. Maybe you have not learned how to hold yourself accountable. Most resolutions that people make are geared towards making positive changes in their lives. Change can be difficult. We develop routines and habits that become hard to break. But I’m here to tell you that you can break that cycle and follow through with making those changes. I do not make resolutions. I make lifestyle changes. The best part, I don’t wait until January 1st to do it either. Me, blogging is a result of me making a lifestyle change. I’ll share with you what has helped me and maybe you can find something in it to help you.
One day I will tell you the whole story, but I made a decision that I was going to start blogging. With anything new, there was a huge spark and a level of excitement. I went and got the materials that I would need to be a blogger, a laptop that would do what I needed it to do. I was pretty excited. Then a few days later, I set up this website to make things official. My website was not perfect from the start (still isn’t) but I made the decision to start. I knew that the longer it was just an idea, the greater possibility that I wouldn’t start blogging. I put out my first blog and I was excited. But then I remembered back to 2016 when I attempted to start a blog before but stopped. I had the same level of enthusiasm, but the spark just seemed to burn out instantly. Making a lifestyle change meant that I had to make changes that would help me be successful in my new life. I changed what I was listening to. I started listening to motivational and inspirational podcasts daily. The spark was able to become an inferno because I was getting the push that I needed. I also learned that no one will value my blog as much as I do. No one will sit here, come up with these blogs, and type them for me. I needed to hold myself accountable. It was on my shoulders. I had to ask myself, “Do I love myself enough to hold myself to a higher standard?” The answer, of course, was yes. I set aside time daily to make sure that I was writing.
Small wins also help to keep you moving forward. Is every blog going to be spectacular, no. Will the whole world know who I am after writing just a few blogs, no. You must have realistic expectations. If your goal is to lose 50 pounds, do not expect to reach it within the first month. But, you will get small wins along the way. Mine have come in the form of people I rarely see somehow reading my blogs and telling me how much they like them. Small wins for me also come in the form of my writing significantly improving from the first blog up until now. Some of you do not stay committed long enough to even see a small win. You can forget about the long-term victories that come with sticking with something. Those small wins help to keep me going, and they will do the same for you.
Love yourself enough to hold yourself accountable and to stay committed to your goals. It’s between you and the person staring back at you in the mirror. And listen, focus on making one change at a time. There is a greater possibility of success when all of your energy is focused on one thing. I encourage you to just make lifestyle changes and stick with them. I support having an accountability parter/group. Just remember that at the end of the day, you are still the one who has to physically do the work. What worked for me may not work for you. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. So, I found ways to make it happen. Hopefully you can take something from all of this. If you have already given up on your goal, you can make the choice to start on it again today. Make the decision that the rest of your life is going to be the best of your life. You got this, I believe in you!
Shawn's Blog 