ABOUT THOSE RESOLUTIONS…
I don’t have any this year. My self-improvement plans are manifold and ongoing, but they’re not dependent on “gearing up” for change in the New Year or “muscling through” the tough spots. I’m probably the only person in the world who will *cancel* her gym membership on Jan 1st (I’ve decided to spend that money on yoga classes/tapes instead because it gives me a better workout.)
HERE’S THE THING: Willpower is like a debit card that can only hold $10. It magically refills every night at midnight, but if you’ve spent that meager $10 of willpower by 9am just getting out of bed and checking your email, you’re not going to have any for the rest of the day. Depending on willpower to change your life is a doomed strategy.
Save that $10 for when you really need it–willpower can get you through in a pinch. The trick is finding better ways to change your habits the other 95% of the time.
Besides, studies show that willpower isn’t the key to it all anyway–compassion and gratitude are.
“Feeling pride or compassion has been shown to increase perseverance on difficult tasks by over 30 percent. Likewise, gratitude and compassion have been tied to better academic performance, a greater willingness to exercise and eat healthily, and lower levels of consumerism, impulsivity and tobacco and alcohol use.”
The last four months have been transformative for me, and I attribute that to my daily meditation. But in truth, the meditation is simply a bolster for my gratitude, compassion, stillness of mind, lowering of stress, and being present in the lives of people I love (which fosters connection)… and all those things help me see clearly how to change the habits that adversely impact my life and my health. This clarity helped me use resources like the Power of Habit to decode lifelong habits and change them.
It’s hard to keep doing harm to yourself once you see a better way. Now I know how to pause, breathe, and live life so fully that I can’t wait to do more of the life-sustaining things that brought me to this space.
So, I’m off to do some back exercises and meditation, then see what things I can do right now to be present, use my gifts, and build a better future for myself and the ones I love.
Namaste!