Top 5 Pro-Tips For the New Year
Well friends, it's that time of year again. Time to dive into "New Year / New You" a bit.
I don't know about you, but I'm generally not one for New Year's resolutions. I typically resist jumping on a bandwagon, and I definitely don't like to set goals just because it's the thing to do at a particular time.
Resolutions themselves aren't a bad thing though -- the beginning of a year is a natural time to orient to a new set of goals for the time ahead. The "fresh start effect" as it's known. Problem is, we typically choose goals, or approach the way we go about attaining them, in an unsustainable way. And as you well know, most get dropped by March.
But what if the thing you're aiming at is genuinely important or interesting to you? How can you go about putting your resolutions in place in a way that at least bends the probability of success a bit more in your favor?
There are two key pieces I see that need to be in place for you:
Whatever your goal is -- whether it's fitness, weight loss, business or relationship goals -- your new actions need to represent a concrete change to your lifestyle. For good. If your mindset is that you'll lose ___ pounds with that keto diet and then you're cut loose to go back to what you've been doing up 'til then, you're doomed. Approach whatever changes you're making as a steady process, something that'll become a committed and permanent feature in your life, not simply a short-term project.
That's way easier said than done, of course. So with that in mind, make whatever changes you're putting in place sustainable. In last year's Reset Retreat in Ecuador, a key teaching of ours was "sustainable creation." One of our go-to phrases was "4% it" -- meaning, make the changes you're enacting a stretch for you, but stretch an attainable 4% shift forward from where you're at currently.
(In flow science circles, it's estimated that a very modest 4% differential between the skills you already possess and the challenge you're undertaking is the sweet spot for driving up your focus and attention to the goal without it tipping over into anxiety or impossibility).
And while I don't usually do resolutions, this year I am making a concerted effort to tighten up on the fundamentals as the year opens (I'll admit that one result -- not so unpleasant -- of our long period of travel abroad last year was that the discipline & structure of my basic practices loosened quite a bit!).
So I'll close this article by sharing a handful of those fundamentals with you; my Top 5, 4% mind-body practices you can easily put in place right now that'll make a huge dent in your overall health -- physically, mentally & emotionally.
In many ways, these'll probably feel like no-brainers, almost too basic, or like you've kinda already got these things going. Don't be fooled! These things are simple, but not always easy. If you can tighten things up for yourself with each of these practices just that 4% daily, big shifts will unfold. I promise.
So here ya go, my Top 5 Empowered Aging Pro-Tips. Click through on the links to learn more:
Improving your overall adaptability & mobility through a mellow daily movement or yoga practice is a game-changer for most pain or movement limitations.
Lock in your basic, daily practices -- gratitude, exercise, mindfulness & sleep (GEMS).
Don't work so hard. Most of us are unaware of the tremendous amount of effort we exert in our basic posture & movement like standing, walking & breathing, resulting in excess tension & pain that's hard to resolve. Do the work to build greater awareness & ease with how you use your body day-to-day.
Remember to play. A lot. It's good for your body, brain & relationships.
Finally, rest & recovery. Make it a priority -- daily, weekly, annually. In it for the long haul? Then your downtime is a critical, secret ingredient for high performance and/or longevity.
Dive into those basics! If you do, I foresee a killer 2024 ahead.