We talk a lot about “resolutions” this time of year, and the positive changes we’re going to make. We have high hopes of success! High hopes, that is, until we land in mid-February with no progress, no motivation, and 22 months left on a 2-year gym membership contract.
Sound familiar?
Somewhere between January 1st and Valentine’s Day we seem to get bogged down, lose track, and give up.
It’s frustrating as heck, and none of us want to bomb out on our resolutions, so why does it keep happening?
The Real Problem
Let’s say you’ve resolved to lose 40 lbs this year. The problem that’s staring you down is that “lose 40 lbs” isn’t actionable. Losing 40 lbs is a goal, not an action. If you just sit there one night and say “I’m going to lose 40 lbs”, and that’s the extent to which you develop that desire, you’re setting yourself up to fail.
It’s like wishing over an empty cocktail glass, hoping for a martini. You’ll be thirsty until you grab some mixers and pour them in!
Fortunately for you, the resolution-success cocktail only has three ingredients, and it’s not that hard to make. Ready for the recipe? It’s equal parts of…..
Mixer #1 – Specificity
Losing weight requires specific actions. “I will lose 40 lbs this year” isn’t an action, but “I will exercise” is close. You can go out and exercise, once you’ve defined “exercise”.
“I will walk half a mile” is even better. Now you have a specific task. You could walk out your door right now and walk for half a mile….assuming you know how far half a mile is.
“I will walk to the green house on Sycamore Street and back again.” Bingo! You can do that right now. That’s an action. And if you walk out your door right now and do it, you’ll be closer to your goal.
Mixer #2 – Framework
On the way out the door though, you realize something. You’re wearing clogs with a 2″ heel. You need to change into….hmmm. You don’t own good walking shoes. You might have a pair of old sneakers, but you’ll have to go look.
While you’re at it, you never liked walking in the pants you’re wearing. They’re nice and dressy, so they’re good for sitting at your job all day, but not that great for walking. You’ll have to change your clothes.
Oh, and a friend told you to get a heart rate monitor for when you go walking, so you can measure your heart rate and track it day to day. Where do you get a heart rate monitor?
Then you start wondering what your heart rate is even supposed to be. Is high good? Is low good? What does it all mean? Maybe you need to stop at the library to get a book.
What you need is a framework. You need to figure out all of this stuff, and make a plan that will get you to your goal.
Mixer #3 – Forward Motion
You go to the library, and there are thirty books on exercise. A quick skim of them indicates that there are about ten different perspectives on it, many of them contradictory. We won’t even get into the diet books!
You discover that a heart rate monitor costs $80, and the walking shoes the guy at the sporting goods store suggests are about $70. This is getting expensive! You begin to think that maybe you shouldn’t start until after your next paycheck.
If you don’t develop some forward motion you’re going to frustrate yourself right back onto the couch with a pack of Oreos.
Shake It All Together
It can be frustrating trying to put it all together, but it doesn’t have to be. Specificity, a framework, and forward motion are all readily available – as long as you take them a little at a time.
“A little at a time” is what the Shift415 project is all about.
Shift415 encourages you to take time, in fifteen-minute daily blocks, to clarify actions, build a framework, and generate forward motion. Fifteen minutes can be found in most peoples’ schedules, and it’s all you need to start making progress.