We are 19 days into the New Year. I've had clients begin to talk to me about the resolutions they made for the new year and how their motivation is starting to wane.

As I've stated in the past, I am not big on New Year's Resolutions. I think we end up looking too far ahead at the result we want to see and not at the steps needed to get us there.

Things go along well for a while, but then it starts to get a little harder. In order to continue to change we often have to step out of our comfort zone and get a little uncomfortable; this is when most people walk away from their resolutions.

It is hard to get uncomfortable. It is easier to stay comfortable and do what we know. But the easy road isn't what will take us to new heights and allow us to grow.

Research actually shows that most people walk away from their resolutions sometime between January 12 and 17th. This is usually the time period when our willpower starts to wane. We are uncomfortable in our new habit and the old way, the easier way, starts to sound like it wasn't so bad after all.

There is a really great book called, The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do To Get More of It by Kelly McGonigal. She says, "We think about our future selves like different people. We often idealize them, expecting our future selves to do what our present selves cannot manage."

While having a vision of who we want to be in the future can help inspire us and head us in the right direction, we have to get crystal clear on the small steps it will take us to get there.

When we can break the big goal into smaller, bite sized goals that we know we can do, then we will be able to move through the periods where things get uncomfortable. We will be stacking habits, or building on the ones where we were successful. Having those successes makes it easier to get back up and brush ourselves off when we things get uncomfortable and the old habits creep back in.

It is through our failures that we learn more about ourselves and what works and what doesn't. This is how we gain long term success.

Are you interested in learning how to break your big goal down into smaller, more attainable goals? Just hit YES, LET’S DO IT! and we can set up a time to chat. This is a free 15 minute call, no strings attached!