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Hello beautiful! Happy New Year! Guess what… quitters day is coming. I can't be very specific about the date (because depending on the source it varies) but from what I've research is between the 17th and 19th January, or around mid-January.
Quitters Day is the most likely day for most people to give up on their new year resolutions.
Around this time a lot of people start feeling frustrated that they don’t see results around their new year resolution (like drinking 8 glasses of water daily, eating more veggies, applying for a new job every day, doing a 30-day yoga challenge… you get the idea right?)
Maybe, there’s a tiny voice inside you saying things like:
“This is harder than I thought it would be.”
“Why is this taking so long?”
“I’m getting nowhere with this.”
“I keep failing at this goal.”
“I can’t do this. What was I thinking?”
“This is pointless!”
“I’ll never get there.”
Oh and I am not trying to discourage you.
Quite the opposite.
I want to raise your awareness around any of these feelings or thoughts and remind you that: you are not an alien, you are not alone.
We all struggle with uncomfortable inner-dialogue.
It is part of human nature.
So, if you’ve made a New Year’s resolution, there are several things you can do to make sure you don’t fall victim to “Quitters Day”
I. Re-evaluate your goal:
If the approach that you’re currently using is not working, try a different one. And if that one is not working either, continue to explore ways you can reframe your goal, until you find a method, technique, or strategy that does the job.
You might need to remind yourself of the fact that “I haven’t tried all possible ways” and that “wanting to give up is just a sign that a different approach is needed.”
Action to take: when you want to give up, take out a pen and a piece of paper and start brainstorming different alternatives you can try. Then, choose one of them, and try it!
II. Go back to your “Why”:
The way I work setting goals with my clients is to first identify what is behind that goal: the why. That’s why one of the most important steps in setting a goal is to create a list of all the reasons why you want to achieve that goal. Maybe you discover that you don’t have a strong enough “why” for a particular goal, and that lack of why might be the reason why things are now flowing. Then you might need to consider to discard it. Remember, your “why’s” are what will motivate you to continue striving for a goal, even when the going gets tough.
Action to take: when you feel like quitting, go back to your why, write a list with all the reasons and look at why your goal is so important to you. Maybe you will find even more reasons behind your why. Because the stronger your connection with your "why" the more likely it is that you won’t quit.
III. Ask for help:
Asking for help means you're strong enough to admit you don't have all the answers, and that my friend is real strength. Because it shows that you're ready to face uncomfortable emotions, you're willing to be vulnerable and ultimately you are willing to grow.
And when I say “ask for help” this can be a friend or professional. That’s your choice. As a professional who helps people with their goals myself, I will encourage you to look for a professional to guide you. This person not necessarily has to be a life coach like me. Doctors, trainers, psychologists, accountants, VA’s or even support groups… are just a handful of other professionals that can support you during your journey.
Action to take: if you start to feel like you’ve been chasing an important goal for a while, but you haven’t made much progress and you feel like giving up, call someone whom you know will talk you out of quitting. You can think of this person as an “accountability buddy” or “goal mentor.
Perhaps this “Quitters day” is an opportunity to reframe your goal, remind your self the why or even ask for help.
Oh and if one day or one week you fall back the best plan might be to get back to the horse today.
Whatever it is, just keep in mind that:
Transformation takes time.
Remember, a caterpillar didn’t just wake up one day as a butterfly.
If you need help during your journey book a free clarity call this week.