January is the month we make promises to ourselves about improving our lives. And while we may swing for the fences in January, come March we may have trouble getting off the bench. Experts agree that a mindful approach to your New Year’s resolutions may be your best bet to score. Here’s how:
1. Consider Your Intentions
The most common resolutions are to lose weight, spend less money, and get organized. Those are all valuable and healthy practices. But why are they your intentions? Do you want to feel better about your body? Know that you won’t need to worry about money for retirement? Stop wasting time looking for all your things in the morning? Honoring the personal meaning behind an action helps us maintain our resolve.
2. Focus on Process, Not Results
Resolutions like “lose weight” and “get organized” are completely focused on a result, with no identification of a process for how to get there. Studies show that when employees — from sales executives to Formula One pit crews — focus on process and style instead of sales numbers and speed, they perform better. Intensely focusing on results paradoxically makes us less likely to achieve them.
Instead of focusing on “losing 10 pounds,” try focusing on going for walks or eating healthy salads for lunch — you will probably end up losing some weight in the process. And you’ll probably enjoy the journey a lot more.
3. Change Your Habit Loop
Self-transformation begins with self-awareness. First turn your attention to the habits that you would like to change and examine what sustains those habits. Charles Duhigg, in The Power of Habit, argues that the key to changing our behaviors is understanding the habit loop — the cues that trigger a particular action, and the rewards that lead us to continue to do it.
Source: https://leftbrainbuddha.com/mindful-approach-new-y...

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