You are listening to the Overthinker's Guide to Joy episode 18. This week is the
one where I'm going to tell you all about why I don't believe in New Year's
resolutions. Let's dive in.
Hey there, you are listening to the Overthinker's Guide to Joy. This is a podcast
for overthinkers, overachievers, perfectionists, type A, stressed out anxious people who
just want to calm down and feel better. I'm your host, certified life coach,
Jackie de Crinis.
Hey there and happy New Year. I hope you all had a great holiday season and you
are ready to take on 2022 if you're listening in real time. Now It may seem
strange to you, it's January 5th, 2022, and it might seem weird that we're about to
talk about or I'm about to talk about New Year's resolutions five days into the new
year. You're thinking, well, haven't I already set the New Year's resolutions? Isn't
that what we do on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day? But I actually think five
days into the new year is even a better time. And the reason why is because I
don't believe in New Year's resolutions. And the reason I don't believe in New
Year's resolutions is because it turns out that most resolutions fail by mid
-February, some even sooner. Some people don't even make it to the second week in
January. And the success rate for New Year's resolutions over the course of an
entire year is about 8%. Yeah, it's pretty low. So if you're listening,
as I said, to this podcast in real time, you might be into day five of your
resolutions or you may have already fallen off whatever wagon you started the new
year with. And like I always say, it's okay, you're not alone.
Now the interesting thing is the most popular resolutions tend to be, no surprise,
losing weight and getting healthier. Although saving money and drinking less is always
up at the top of the list too. Now, what are the two most common reasons people
aren't successful with their resolutions? Number one, lack of self -discipline.
And number two, time. People say they get too busy, their schedules get too
demanding, and then the resolutions fall by the wayside. But to really change
something in your life, It requires changing it from a desire, also known as a
resolution, to a habit, and habits take time to create. Now,
some people say it's not a habit until you've done something for 28 days in a row.
Other researchers say it needs to be 66. I don't know what the magic of 66 is,
but I know that 28 is the absolute minimum. Now, you'll know if it's a habit if
you're still doing whatever you're doing a year from now. Obviously, there's a big
difference between bad habits and good habits. And I may have talked about this in
a previous podcast. But bad habits actually take no time to learn. From the first
bite of a donut or ice cream, we're all in. It tastes good. It's sweet. It's full
of fat, whatever it is. There's no learning curve on this. And that's true for
sodas and watching too much television and spending money. It's just fun and it's
easy. And we don't really see the consequences right away. So we just kind of keep
doing it. And it's much easier to like, for example, just lay on your sofa and
watch Netflix for hours than it is to take a walk. Fast food is an easy habit to
develop because it's full of fat and sugars and salt and things that taste good and
it's inexpensive and heavily marketed. And so it takes no time to fall into that
habit because it's easy. But on the flip side, learning to adopt a good habit takes
time because the benefits take time. You know, we join a gym we work out for an
hour, we don't look any different, or we skip the donut, we don't lose a pound, or
we decide not to buy the expensive pair of boots in the store. And it's not like
we're suddenly rich because we skipped buying a pair of shoes. So it takes time to
adopt a good habit before we see those long -term benefits, sometimes days, weeks,
or even months. But then again, with bad habits, it's like instant gratification
dopamine hit, whether it's smoking, drugs, alcohol gambling, overspending,
overeating, kicking a bad habit and replacing it with a good one, like exercising
regularly, saving money, quitting smoking, all the things. It takes time.
Now over the holidays, many of us to over -indulge. I did a whole podcast on that
a few weeks ago. And then everyone wants to hit the reset button in the new year.
You want to be healthier, happier, richer, and more fulfilled. So when the proverbial
party is over, that is the holiday season, you wake up on New Year's Day and you
say, "This year is going to be different." And it's often coming from a place of
guilt, shame, remorse, or regret. Maybe from the holiday, maybe from the whole year
that led up to the holidays. And this is exactly why I don't think New Year's
resolutions work. Because they're made in a moment of weakness or desperation.
Resolutions have good intentions and it's a good place to start. But I prefer goal
setting over resolutions. Now you may see potato, potato, this is just semantics.
I don't think so. And more specifically, I recommend something called smart goals.
And smart goals are defined as the S is for specific, the M is for measurable,
the A is for achievable, the R is for realistic, and the T is for time limited.
Smart goals are not any of the following. I want to be healthier. I want to drink
less. I want to spend less. I want to save more. They're not specific enough.
They're not measurable enough. They're not they might be achievable They might be
realistic, but there's no time limit So here's examples of smart goals same goals
redefined. I will lose 20 pounds by March 31st, 2022. I Will only drink alcohol on
the weekends, and I will limit it to one or two drinks. I will make coffee at
home instead of going to Starbucks every day. I will put 15 % of my earnings in a
savings account every week or every month. Creating smart goals immediately make us
more accountable. There are specific targets to hit, and then our job is to break
them into smaller, more manageable steps. Now, writing down smart goals is another
key to success. It creates another layer of accountability. Thinking of something,
saying it out loud, and then writing it down. This creates a more in -depth
processing for our brains. And specifically writing down things makes it real and
sends signals to the brain that you're serious about making them happen. So if
getting healthier is your goal this year and exercises a habit you want to create.
Then it needs to be scheduled and it needs to be written down into your calendar,
whether that's a handwritten calendar or electronic calendar, an old fashioned wall
calendar, it needs to be written down just like an appointment. If losing weight is
one of your goals, then meal planning is key. Making time to go to the grocery
store or signing up for a healthy meal delivery service or if you eat all your
meals out, figuring out the restaurants that offer the healthiest food options for
you. Is saving money is your goal? Taking time to really look at your finances and
see where you can cut the fat. Check credit card statements, see if you really need
all those subscriptions. Eating at home is another great money saving endeavor. Now,
if you're having trouble staying accountable to yourself, then this is why you might
want to hire a life coach. This is the kind of work that I do with people all
the time. We set goals big and small, personal and professional, and we get to work
on creating the life that you want. I've had clients lose 40 pounds,
get promotions, find new jobs, bigger salaries, start dating for the first time in
years after divorce or difficult breakups, start new hobbies, create more confidence
in their lives and develop better relationships with loved ones and themselves. So
whether you work with me or another coach or you just decide to tackle the new
year on your own, I invite you to try setting smart goals this year instead of New
York's resolutions. I would love for you to start your new year off with a bang
and adopt new good habits that will serve you not just for January and February,
but for the whole year ahead and many years to come. This has worked for me for
over the last 20 years. I set my goals during the month of January, not New Year's
Eve, not New Year's Day. I like to think about them before I really decide. I
write them down and I take steps to make them happen. This is how I learned to
incorporate my four basic principles that you heard early on in my podcast.
Hydration, daily exercise, meditation, and eating right every day.
It's also how I started my new career almost three years ago. It was my intention
to leave the television business and find a career where I felt passionate about
getting out of bed in the morning and helping other people. And now that's what I
do and that's what I love. So every one of these goals started as a smart goal.
And look, they were hard. It was hard to learn to develop and exercise practice
every day. It was hard to learn to sit in silence and learn to meditate. And it
was hard to give up a career of 33 years and start from scratch, but it was all
so worth it because I wanted something different. I wanted to feel better and do
things that made me feel proud of my body and my mind and how I was spending my
time. So I want that for you too. I want you to identify the things that you want
to change in your life. And they don't have to be big. They can be small, but
they can be impactful. If you need help getting there, please reach out to me
through my website at jackiedecrinis.com. Wishing you a happy new year with great
success on all of your goals. I look forward to talking to you next week. Bye for
now. If you want to learn more tips about managing your stress and how to manage
your overthinking brain, just go to my website and sign up for my weekly newsletter
at jackiedecrinis.com. That's J -A -C -K -I -E -D -E -C -R -I -N -I -S .com.
You can also follow me on Instagram at jackiedecrinis. Bye for now. Thank you for
listening to this episode of Overthinker's Guide to Joy. If you like what was
offered in today's episode, I would love you to leave a review and Subscribe or
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