So today is Sunday December 31st 2006; the day before we all change our lives forever.
Apparently.
We've told ourselves tomorrow is the day.
The new us.
Leaner, lighter, happier, more relaxed, wealthier, more balanced.... different.
Better.
Between Christmas and New Year we ate our own body-weight in food because... that's what we do and anyway..."We're starting tomorrow!"
So it's all okay.
I can justify and rationalise whatever I want; shut up Harper.
My body, my life.
Anyway, I deserved it.
We overeat, we drink too much and we stumble towards the end of the Year, safe in the knowledge that January 1 is coming... and it will all be different.
Somehow.
Sure we've made and broken resolutions and promises before.... but this year it's gonna be different.
Lesson 1: If nothing changes, nothing changes.
If you want next year to be the best year of your life, then you need to establish why and how it will be different this time. Keeping in mind that a good or a bad year is not about situations, circumstances, events or other people; it's about you.
Your choices.
Your attitude.
Your ability to deal with discomfort.
Your ability to create new standards and 'rules'.
Your ability to persevere when previously you've thrown in the towel.
Your ability to keep doing, even when the doing ain't fun or cool or sexy (consistency).
So tomorrow we start losing weight.
Getting fit.
Giving up the smokes.
Cutting back on the alcohol.
Swearing less.
Fixing relationships.
Changing bad habits.
Yep, tomorrow's the day.
So glad it's not today; not emotionally prepared today.
Just heard an interesting stat on the news: this New Year four million Australians will go on a diet. That's about twenty percent of our population.
If we use the same maths on the United States, we end up with sixty million dieters.
Jenny Craig must be rubbing her hands together.
Lesson 2: The truth is, for most people, the only change that January 1 brings is a short term change in behaviour (usually less than a fortnight, often less than a week).
For Personal Development types like me, January 1 is the most interesting day of the year. It's the one universal day where everyone talks about goals, dreams, plans and hopes; in short we all talk about creating a better life (however that is represented for us).
We talk about it, we dream about it.
But often we don't (really) plan for it, sweat for it, sacrifice for it, work for it, get uncomfortable for it.
We just kind of 'hope' it will happen.
Hopefully success will fall on us from a great height.
We don't create it.
We don't persevere.
We don't finish what we start.
In my job I have watched (literally) thousands of talented, intelligent and capable people spend years going around in circles.
Years being frustrated.
Years under-achieving.
Years making Excuses and years waiting for the right time.
Years making and breaking promises and resolutions.
Our biggest challenge in the pursuit of forever change, is not our ability (or lack of it), not opportunities, luck, potential, skills, education (or lack of it) and not our age or gender; it is our ability to consistently do the things we need to do to create our desired results, irrespective of how we're feeling, day in and day out.
Lesson 3: Motivation is temporary.
For most people, motivation is a feeling; an emotional state. "I feel motivated because I just saw this amazing film clip...."
If we only do when we feel motivated, we'll never create real (forever) change... because nobody is motivated 24/7.
Success is always less about motivation and more about some very un-sexy things like planning, self-control, discipline, organisation, time-management, decision making and mental toughness.
Not sexy, not glamorous, but effective.
I can tell you want you want to hear, or I can tell you the truth.
Lesson 4. We don't need another resolution, we need a revolution.
A revolution in the way we do things.
A revolution in the way we approach the next year.
A revolution in our head.
I hate the whole concept of January 1 being the day for a new start.
If only we all understood that every day is the day.
A better life ain't about the New Year....
It's about the New You.
Craig Harper (B.Ex.Sci.) is an Australian motivational speaker, qualified exercise scientist, author, columnist, radio presenter, and owner of one of the largest personal training centres in the world.
He can be heard weekly on Australian Radio SEN 1116 and GOLD FM and appears on Australian television on Network Ten's 9AM.
Motivational Speaker - Craig Harper
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