While the intentions are admirable, the idea of more goals gets complicated.  Losing weight becomes a gym membership and new clothes to wear to the gym.  Quitting a sugar habit involves learning to cook differently and getting your household on board with the change.  The outcomes are good ideas, but the execution becomes tricky.  And, most of us already have enough stuff to do.  I have found that the best way to invite any kind of positive change into your life is to keep it simple and make life easier.
Most goals sound simple enough.  Lose ten pounds.  Be nicer.  Yell less.  Easy enough, right?  Well, if it was so easy it wouldn’t be something you need to spend so much time thinking about and wouldn’t be something you are still resolving to do or not do.  The simple way to framing how you want 2019 to look for you is to reflect on a few questions.

1. The first question to ask is, what do you want to create in 2019?  As opposed to the deprivation model of giving up or quitting something, focus on what you want to make for yourself.  One of the greatest gifts of being human is that we get to create and re-create as often as we like.  Maybe you want to create more balance or a healthier lifestyle.  Maybe you want to cultivate a new career or more peace and calm in your life.  Whatever you are hoping for this year isn’t going to come from anyone else but you – that is the creative part.  You get to write the story.
2. Creativity and productivity thrive when we are our best selves.  How do you feel when you are functioning at your best?  Think about the best times in your life and how you felt.  It’s different for everybody.  Some of us feel exhilarated when we are at our best while others will feel calm.  We all know our best selves.  Take a few moments to remember some of those times and how you felt.  See if you can pick one to three positive emotions.
3. Now, take those positive feelings you experience when you are at your best self and reflect on what activities, behaviors, thoughts, and people support those.  For example, if confident is how you feel when you are at your best, what supports you feeling confident?  If you feel inspired when you are at your best, what are you usually doing to nurture inspiration?  Maybe it’s daily meditation, regular social interaction, or physical movement.  Think about what supports the emotional qualities of being the best you.

Then, create the space for what supports the best year. That’s it. Simple. No goals. No charts or weigh-ins.  Letting go of habits that no longer serve us and introducing new ones comes naturally when we are at our best. So, simplify 2019. Focus on what helps you be your best and let it happen.

Click HERE & HERE for the Simplify 2019 worksheet.

Need a little extra support with health behavior goals?  Health & Wellness Counseling can help you get back to your best self.