Over the weekend, the freshness of the New Year was noticeable at my yoga studio. This is the season when the class size doubles and we move our mats close together to welcome new faces. Last October marked the third year of my yoga practice and I've now seen this January surge three times.
As I looked around the room, I wondered which of the new faces would maintain their practice. Research shows that only 8% of people achieve their New Year's Resolutions. As we consider our own commitments to change, there's an important question to ask: What's driving our goals? Is it passion or fear?
We humans are built with an internal thermostat that tells us how wealthy we can become, how much we think we should weigh or how much we can achieve. When we step into a desired change from fear, we get stuck in a circular loop, feeling like we need to change so we don't become poor, or overweight, or irrelevant.
What happens when we make a change motivated by fear? We are really motivated at first. We think, "Yes! I'm going to hit that sales goal this year! I'm not going to put myself in that situation where I'm low on money again. This is the year I'm going to sell, sell, sell!" (or "exercise to lose weight" or a number of other resolutions).
Let me know if this sounds familiar:
- We become motivated by fear. We set goals to change.
- We get off to a great start, committed to never feeling overweight, or poor, or some other negative emotion again.
- Then a funny thing happens. We hit some benchmarks. We achieve some goals. We see the weight dropping off, or the sales numbers adding up, and the fear dissipates. We start to feel safe.
- Our motivation wanes, and eventually disappears all together. We let our guard down and before we know it, the weight comes the back or the sales numbers fall off track.
- We're back to feeling stressed. Eventually, we start the whole process over again, wondering if this time we can really make a change, but losing faith that we can trust our own commitments.
So what do we do to stay motivated when we want to make a long-term change? We transform the conversation in our heads by creating and committing to a passion-filled vision.
Want to blow this year's sales out of the water and stay on an upward trend? Get motivated by imagining how many lives you'll improve as a result of those sales. Want to get and keep that weight off? Envision yourself running around with your grandkids because you're healthy and fit.
Whatever your resolutions, take a good look at what's motivating them. If it's fear, how can you change that internal story to one of passion? What positive vision can you create to keep your motivation fueled through failures and successes? How can you make that vision visible to yourself and others so you wake up every day feeling inspired?
Need Inspiration?
Thinking, "All this sounds great, but I'm not sure what I'm even passionate about." I hear you. Years ago, I had the same questions: "Where am I going? What fuels my passion? What am I supposed to be doing with my gifts and talents?"
I went on a journey to uncover the answers to these questions for myself and my business. By articulating a life storyline, defining my values and stating an inspired purpose, I became energized, focused and more courageous than ever. Based on my own experience, and years of coaching leaders around these questions, I built a series of workshops to help give you the tools to flourish. Courses start in February, so sign up today!
Flourishing for Veterans Starts February 8th!
Flourishing for Veterans is operated under the brand name RESET and is sponsored by Capitol Post. Capitol Post, home of the DC veteran business community, hosts our four-part workshop series.
RESET is for veterans and their spouses looking to take the next step in their careers, start a business, explore a different path, or even just wanting to ignite a sense of passion in life. In a four-part series, we'll uncover your life storyline, values, inspired purpose and ways to bring those to life in resumes, interviews and every-day living. Learn more and register»
Are you at a cross-roads about how to move forward in life? Some people call this a midlife crisis, but we call it a midlife calling! If you feel like there's more to life and you're ready to live with more fulfillment and meaning, this is the workshop for you.
Many of us advance through stages of life that have us see the world with new eyes. Suddenly, what was perfectly acceptable years ago suddenly feels empty and meaningless. If you're wondering, "Is there more to my story?" this workshop is for you. Learn more and register»
Been in business for a while, but feeling a little flat about how you describe your company? Think there's more to your brand than what you see now, but not sure how to express it? Want to inspire your employees, customers and prospects with a brand built around your "special something" as a leader?
This one-day intensive workshop is exactly what you need to boost your brand. The full-day session will identify your archetypes, or storylines, that connect with people on the deepest level. It will examine your values and how they can be used to align employees and build brand ambassadors. And it will leave you with a messaging map that can be used as the foundation for all communications. Learn more and register»
Not into the group thing? Schedule a series of four one-on-one coaching sessions with me. I'll guide you through my process to help you define who you are, what you stand for and how you want to show up in the world.
Think this would be a great exercise for a team? You're right! I'll design a customized retreat to help align and inspire your team. E-mail me for more info.