Transforming New Year’s Resolutions into New Year’s Evolutions

The start of the New Year can be an important milestone. It gives you an opportunity to take stock of the way things are and re-evaluate your current direction.  It’s a wonderful time to clarify your personal goals and work goals, plan family events and social activities, review your finances, sketch out travel plans and vacation plans for the coming year and many other things. I especially like to take note of any really positive things that happened during the previous year—achievements, progress on projects, personal relations, even seemingly accidental good fortune. This is all great stuff.

So how about New Year’s resolutions for personal change like quitting smoking or losing weight? Well, they’re a great place to start. They serve as as a type of “pattern interrupt.” A stimulus that breaks the unwanted behavior pattern. This opens the door to change, and here’s a way you can make your New Year's resolutions even more powerful, effective and long lasting.

I suggest you transform your New Year’s resolutions into New Year’s evolutions. If you’re repeating an unwanted behavior like smoking or overeating, go ahead and review the behavior along with everything else you review at this time of year. Honestly consider the positives as well as the negatives the behavior gives you. What are you getting out of it? There must be something. Isn’t there a better way to get the same thing? Give yourself permission to explore this with an open mind. Be true to yourself. Do YOU really want to STOP?

Now you’re basing your decision on something more authentic than the calendar date. If you decide to continue you might as well go ahead and enjoy it. But if you decide to stop the behavior, don’t be surprised if you suddenly find yourself absolutely fed up and maybe even disgusted by it. You can reach a genuine tipping point very quickly. When you reach this point (whether it’s Jan.1 or any other date), feel free to call or send me an e-mail. I’d love to help you take the next step in your evolution. Hypnotherapy can be the difference that makes a difference.