New Year, Better You - by Joel Harper

How many of you even remember the New Year’s resolutions you made three weeks ago? Something about calling your mother more often and passing on the cheesecake, right? Even the resolutions you can remember, you probably won’t actually do. It seems like any resolution that starts with “I should…” ends up on the cutting room floor. The ones that stick tend to start with “I want to…”. What they have in common is that we can picture how life will be better once this resolution is accomplished. It has to do with the heart and not the head.

Maybe you want to participate in a triathlon so you can feel powerful and disciplined and get that rush that comes from knowing you can do anything you put your mind to no matter how far off it feels at the moment. Now imagine you actually accomplish it. And you feel like a Gladiator. Who knows what THAT kind of feeling can lead to? Next thing you know, you’ll feel ready to take on the world. Maybe you’ll start your own company or ask for a promotion. Positive feelings lead to confident living.

Maybe you want to lose those 20 pounds so you can feel confident and spontaneous…and fantasize about going to a nude beach and actually taking your clothes off.  Enough said.

Maybe you want to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity (a non-profit where volunteers build homes for people in need) because that will make you feel generous and passionate and make you feel like you can actually make something if you put your mind to it.

The other thing that successful New Year’s resolutions have in common is that they start with small steps. Once you have a “win” with a small step, you get energized, and you put one foot in front of the other and keep going.  So take that small step today.

Take out a piece of paper, put one goal on it and put it on your bathroom mirror. Get your day started right, so the rest of your day goes right.  If one of your resolutions is to feel healthy and strong, here is a small step of a total body, no equipment and free workout from Oprah and Dr. Oz to get you on your way:

http://www.oprah.com/health/Dr-Ozs-Energy-Boosting-Workout-Video 

Remember: Consistency is the key to the success. Don’t let anyone diminish you, and don’t live your life like you might be wrong, step out and find out!