Happy 2017 from Vail, Colorado! I’m so grateful to start the New Year in one of my favorite places in the world with people I love.
The beginning of a new year is such an exciting time – the countdown, the champagne toast, the silly hats, the midnight kiss, the fireworks, the sparkles and glitz – it’s all so magical! I love that it’s tradition to celebrate the possibility that lies ahead in the year to come. As you know, I’m all about believing anything is possible!
In my mind, the new year is the perfect opportunity for setting intentions for the year ahead – hence all the resolution making.
But how often have you made a New Year’s resolution, only to see that resolution fall by the wayside after just a couple of weeks? I think most everyone’s experienced that at some point.
So right now, I have a little insight to share to help you set intentions (or make resolutions) for the new year and actually keep them – so that you can reach your goals for your life and biz in 2017.
Recently, I learned that a study from University College London has shown it takes an average of 66 days to create a new habit.
After that, it doesn’t require extreme amounts of willpower to implement that new habit or way of doing things – it comes more naturally.
When I heard this for the first time, I flashed back to all the moments when I didn’t follow through – and it all started to make sense!
The truth is, as much as I had wanted to make a change, I didn’t give it enough time to stick.
Many people start out strong when it comes to their goals for the new year, but they don’t repeat their new practice persistently enough for it to become a habit. Maybe you can relate, lovely.
So think about what you want to change and implement this year.
Maybe for you it’s a new powerful morning routine. (I recommend exercise, journaling, learning and meditation.)
Maybe you want to go to a new yoga studio every day.
Maybe you want to work less in your business and delegate.
Maybe you want to try cutting sugar out of your diet.
Regardless of the goal, I encourage you to give this 66 day thing a try. Decide what you want to focus on, what you want to change or a new habit you want to form, and do it persistently every day for at least 66 days.
The other step I’d highly recommend you take is to review your goals daily in order to keep them in your conscious mind, as well as reinforcing those goals in your subconscious mind. (Your subconscious does a lot behind the scenes in terms of finding ways to achieve your goals!)
Your mind may try to tell you that your goals aren’t possible, or that your new thought habits are too hard or unnatural. When that happens, just remember to feel the feelings that come up, and then operate from a place of knowledge that although your mind may be resisting this change – and it’s probably resisting getting outside your comfort zone – you can flip the switch on those thoughts and refocus on your goals.
Persistent repetition is what it takes to create a new habit, and this applies to practically any sort of resolution or intention you may have.
After all, success doesn’t come from dabbling. It takes dedication and persistent action – and trust me, you have what it takes! You can do anything for 66 days if you simply put your mind to it (and by the way, it also helps to schedule it into your calendar or set reminders on your phone)!
Truly, there is so much potential for you in the year to come – so no more dabbling, lovely! Now is the perfect time to put new practices in place to help you move forward toward your dreams this year, and to make them stick. After all, your dreams are in your heart for a reason, lovely.
Make 2017 your year to make those dreams your reality!
