Simple Mindset Shifts to Make before the New Year
Before you know it, the new year will be right around the corner. This is a great time to reflect on how your year went, recognize areas of success and what you want to change. Although there is a lot of pressure around new year’s resolutions, it is typically because they are too big of a goal with no detailed plans. Think about the elements you can change first before tackling your original goal.
Here are simple mindset shifts to make before the new year.
Start With The Subconscious
Our stress can get carried over into our day from the night before. Feeling stress and anxiety as soon as you wake up does not provide you with the energy you need for the day. You can train your subconscious mind the night before going to sleep.
Try to picture yourself excited to tackle the tasks you need to complete the next day and how you will feel when accomplishing them. Setting these thoughts and feelings into place the night before can sink into your subconscious mind and effortlessly returns as you wake up in the morning.
Dream Big But Start Small
Having big goals is a part of life and drives you to keep going every day. Just because you have a big dream does not mean you need to achieve it all in one shot. Taking baby steps toward a goal will help build the foundation to reach the ultimate vision you have.
For example, if getting to the gym is your goal, setting an extreme schedule, like you'll get up at 5 a.m. every day and run for one hour, may work for a week and then fade the rest of the year. The saying “pura vida”, which means simple life or pure life, is the way to tackle this. Start by saying you will run for five to ten minutes three to four times a week. It allows you to ease into a new goal.
Choose Approach-Oriented Goals
When looking to change your life, it is easy to say things like “Don’t use swear words” or “Don’t drink on the weekends”. After a while, your motivation to stop making these changes will fade. It is the same concept as telling a child not to eat the candy on the table left in front of them. It is better to replace behaviors rather than ditch them altogether.
Suppose you are trying to eliminate curse words in your everyday language. Instead of cutting them out completely, find other words to replace them that are better. It can be a great start to your goal and you can get them entirely out of your vocabulary.
Be Behavior Focused
You may often get wrapped up in the outcome of your resolution over the behaviors accompanying it. Commit to regular behaviors and perform them constantly to achieve the big outcome. Getting stuck on one significant goal is easy, but recognizing behaviors you can do daily will keep you motivated and remind you why you are working for it.
For example, if you want to make more money, don't leave it at that. Create a plan, such as putting aside two hours over the weekend for extra work. Over time, the money will accumulate since you were focused on the behavior of working two extra hours instead of the general idea of making more money.
The Bottom Line
Wanting to improve is a natural part of being human. Create detailed mindset shifts and tasks leading to your big resolution this year.
Cora Gold is the Editor-in-Chief of women’s lifestyle magazine, Revivalist. She has a passion for writing about ways to live a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life, especially for new moms.
