We’re a week into the New Year, how are those resolutions going?

A U.S Government survey, shows a little less than half of all Americans make some kind of New Year’s resolution, but most don’t keep them:

• 75% will last a week.
• 64% will keep them for a month.
• Only 46% will ever make it to the six month mark.

For example, one might make a resolution to lose weight and begin an exercise program.  It seems like a reasonable aspiration.  However, gym managers says memberships increase by about 30% in January, then begin to decline.

Resolutions, in my experience and opinion, do not work.

Setting goals and marking progress toward them does work.

In short, working a plan versus spitting into the wind seems more effective.  Identifying habits that might be working against us, addressing the issue(s), and creating a plan to reverse or eliminate the behavior would appear to have a longer lasting effect.

The video content included with this post would suggest this might be about weight loss or weight issues, specifically in women, it is not.  Far from the truth!

The issue is deeper than weight concerns and applies to both men and women.

It is about the programming we allow to control our best efforts.

The video simply emphasizes the point using weight and appearance as a focal point.

The message applies to all of us who have lips and through which pass words, men and women alike.

It has been said that “life or death” is in the power of the tongue.

We normally think of this in terms of what we say to others. 

We seldom think of it in terms of what we say to ourselves, aloud or silently.

It is time to face the music as we shoot ourselves in the foot more times than not and we don’t even realize it.

We essentially invite negative programming into our life, which starts with our thoughts and words, and sub-consciously cuts our best intentions off at the knees.

Have you ever said something like the following?

• I can’t understand these directions.
• I can’t balance this checkbook.
• I’m not good at spelling.
• I’m too old now, they will never hire me.
• It’s too late to start over.
• What’s the use, it will never work out.

In his book, What To Say When You Talk To Yourself, author Shad Helmstetter states that as much as 77% of what you tell yourself may be working against you.

Think of it in these terms.

• You are walking from Point A to Point B through a grassy park with a paved walkway.
• You decide to take a shortcut to shorten the distance walked by walking on the grass instead of the walkway.
• Over time, the grass begins to be matted down and becomes a dirt shortcut.
• Ultimately a new walkway is formed with the surface becoming as hard as cement.

Our negative thoughts or words can have the same effect, hardening the pathways in our thought life and allowing the deposits of untrue expressions to pad our thought accounts.

We are told that “thoughts are things”.

In the video, it states that “damaging words are a barrier”. 

They keep up from getting to where we otherwise might be.

“You wouldn’t talk this way to anyone else.  So why do you do it to yourself?”

I cannot agree more.  It is time to “shut down” the “I can’t talk”. 

SHUT IT DOWN!

It is time to begin thinking of what is possible.

The only way to get there is to replace the “I can’t” with“I can” and begin to make a plan to head in whatever direction your desire.

What small steps can you make in the direction of changing your self-talk to have the effect of building yourself up versus putting yourself down?