Secret behind making your 2024 resolution work!
“How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself?”
Today is the last day of 2023. You might have already made your New Year’s Resolution or completely given up on it because you were not able to keep even one all these years.
It’s not your fault. You were never taught James Clear’s 3 forked approach.
How to implement it in your life?
Let’s understand the concept with an example. Suppose, you want to lose 5 Kgs in 2024, here’s what you might do. You might write down:
2024 Resolution: Lose 5 Kgs
This is your goal. But it is not enough.
The goal is just a direction. You also need implementation.
So, you need to go a step further and build a system.
2024 Goal: Lose 5 Kgs
System: Do 30 minutes of cardio 5x/week and 45 minutes of weight training 3x/week. You then decide the specific date and time for your workouts and put it in your calendar.
Making a system removes the guess work and gives you clarity. Monday 8:00 am is reserved for cardio, so your probability of sticking to it increases.
I know what you are thinking! You’ve even implemented this and were super excited and consistent for the first few weeks but then ended up missing workouts. You would give yourself excuses such as “I am too tired today”, “I have a lot of work to do”, “It’s so cold outside”.
But the underlying reason why you were not able to stick to it is because you missed the 3rd ingredient: Values!
If you try to build new habits with your old identity, you are bound to fail. New habits demand a new identity! Let’s add the 3rd step and see the magic it adds.
2024 Goal: Lose 5 Kgs
System: Do 30 minutes of cardio 5x/week and 45 minutes of weight training 3x/week. You then decide the specific date and time for your workouts and put it in your calendar.
Identity: I’m a person committed to a healthy and active lifestyle. I don’t give excuses when things get tough.
This means seeing yourself not just as someone who wants to lose weight but as someone who identifies with and values being active and healthy. This new identity becomes the driving force behind your habits.
Now, when faced with challenges like feeling tired or having a busy day, you're not just pushing yourself to complete a workout; you're reinforcing your identity as someone committed to a healthy lifestyle.
One easy hack to ACTUALLY make this work:
Ask yourself this question: What would a person losing weight do? Act in accordance to the answer you get.
Would she walk or take a cab?
Would she eat at night?
Would she drink 200 mL of water or 2-3 L?
Would she skip a workout?
Would she eat fried food?
📧If you have a New Year’s Resolution, feel free to share it with me along with your plan to execute it (in the Goal, System, Values format) to keep yourself accountable.
My 2024 focus will be on nutrition, physical exercise and travel!
Can tell you more about it later…this one is getting lengthy.
Wishing you a Happy New Year!🎊
Keep Blooming,
Bani Singh