6 Ways to Guarantee Resolution Failure

I read a statistic the other day claiming that a majority of resolution-makers hold steady on their commitment for only a week, and a small percentage stay on track for a month. Then…. kaput.

Based on my 13+ years of coaching, and on the challenges and successes in my own life, here are 6 ways you can be sure to fail at anything you try:

1. Keep a running to-do list in your head. By expecting yourself to remember everything you need to do instead of capturing it in a notebook or document, you use your brain as a container instead of the computer that it is. Just like any other hard drive, bog it down with too many files and it’s going to drag. The result? You end up running in circles getting a little done on a lot and a lot done on nothing.
2. Ridicule yourself into submission. A surefire way to stay stuck is to beat yourself up for not taking action. To your brain, that is action so it doesn’t feel motivated to do more. If you’re too busy focusing on how lazy and scattered you are, you don’t have much bandwidth left to make real progress.
3. Stockpile self-help books on your shelf (or virtual classes on your computer), but take no action. There are a ton of fantastic resources out there to help you reach your goals. The role of them all is to support you and, hopefully, make things easier as you move along your journey. Your role? To use that insight and information to actually do the steps it takes to get you from here to there.
4. Judge those who have what you seek. When envy causes you to discount others’ success, you send out the message that you don’t want success for yourself. No doubt, there’s a part of you who wouldn’t want to be judged the way you’re judging others, so the best way to ensure that doesn’t happen is to keep yourself stuck. An effective way to stay committed and make progress on your goal is to celebrate those who have already achieved something similar.
5. Numb your feelings. Although no one likes to feel scared, sad, frustrated, or intimidated, those emotions represent the voice of your Little One, and trust me, he or she does NOT like to be shut up with food, TV, booze, or drama. The longer you run from the uncomfortable feelings, the louder he or she needs to be to get your attention. Instead, take a quiet moment to check in, spend some time with him or her, and offer lots of reassurance, love, and support.
6. Compare yourself to others. You can always find examples of people who seem to be ahead of you in the game of life, but this isn’t a race. You do you, and let them do them. Feeling “less than” is just another tactic your fearful Little One will use to stay put. See it for what it is, and love that little cutie up!

What say you about this list? Any of these resonate with you? Where do you find yourself getting tripped up when trying to make a change? Chat with me in the comments.

Oh, and if you’d like to hear my ranting on the BS weight loss ads that reinforce the blocks on this list, as well as a new perspective on achieving your health goals, check out my free webinar coming up on Tuesday, January 13. For more info, click here.

Until next week, keep taking those small steps to Live Out Loud.