Ditch Resolutions – Do This Instead

This week, I’m sharing three things that will help you stick to the goals, objectives or commitments you have set for the upcoming year.

I am challenging myself to do more than what I’ve done in the last few years. I’m going to challenge myself to do a video every single week.

I have wanted to do video content for a while, but, I have allowed excuses to get in the way.

I have allowed the excuse of having poor high-speed internet, not having a videographer, not having time to do editing, not having the right lighting – you name it.

I’ve come up with a million reasons why I can’t create video content on a regular basis.

So, I’m challenging myself on it:

I’m challenging myself because, when you stick with something over and over again, it allows you to grow and become a better version of yourself.

That’s also why I created The 365 Project – a program dedicated to helping people stick with a commitment they’ve made for 365 days in a row.

There are a few things can happen in this process that can derail you. Especially if you don’t do the third thing I talk about, below. Keep reading to find out what it is.

Three things that will help you stick to your goals, dreams and big ideas, for the rest of the year.

1. Attachment

Attachment gets in the way of doing.

When we get attached to what other people think, how other people respond or to the result, instead of the journey and the process, it can prevent us from doing.

I often get attached to how I look on camera or how many views I have.

These attachments won’t help me stay the course. If I don’t feel like I look good on camera, if I don’t feel like I speak well on camera, or if I don’t have a lot of people watching, I can use my attachment to these things as a reason to stop.

The truth is, if I pushed past those attachments and kept going, my video skills would actually improve and I would probably increase the number of people who watch my videos.

So, be careful that you don’t get attached to the wrong thing. Become attached to improvement instead of the results that you want.

2. Recognize Resistance

Recognize when resistance rears its ugly head.

This is closely linked to rationalization.

I could come up with a whole bunch of reasons why skipping a video is okay. Nobody will know if I miss a week. Nobody will care if I don’t do a video. It doesn’t really matter. I don’t really need to follow through.

Let’s use my exercise routine as an example. I can rationalize why skipping a day is okay and I can rationalize why walking without doing any weight training is okay, when the truth is, it’s not.

Your mind will play tricks on you. Your mind will rationalize its way out of doing what your heart really desires.

Pay close attention to resistance when it comes up and the rationalization in your head begins to take you off course.

3. Take Ownership

The third, and most important thing, is taking ownership.

In 2020, many things beyond our control happened and a lot of external factors affected our lives; lockdowns, store and restaurant closures, people having to work from home and people being laid off.

Now, think about the goals you set for yourself and your business that you have control over – you need to take back control of what you can do.

Too often, we focus on what we can’t do instead of what we can do. We need to work the muscle that says, “I can”.

For example, “I can exercise for five minutes”, “I can write a sentence for my book” or “I can jot down ideas to make one of my chapters better.”

There’s always something you can do when you take ownership. Taking ownership is how you battle resistance and it’s how you get through attachment.

It’s about showing up and being the person that you’re capable of being. It’s about taking ownership of the behaviour, the habits and the processes that you are trying to cultivate.

Don’t fall off your game and fall off forever.

We’re all going to fall off our game at some point – none of us are perfect. But, you must stay true to the journey of who you are becoming and why that matters to you.

If you do these three things, it will be easier for you to be attached to who you are becoming instead of the immediate results and it will be easier to overcome the resistance and rationalization.

Leave me a comment and tell me: what’s one thing you really want to commit to this year? I’d love to hear what it is. And, if you’d like to learn more about The 365 Project, click here. 

It’s never too late to join us. Today is the first day of the next 365 days of your life. The journey doesn’t end, it starts when you begin. The question is, will you begin?