We're approaching the holiday season and let's face it, this time of year is typically about excess.  Too much food, booze and general all round partying!

Pretty soon though, we will be turning our sights to New Year and inevitably all those resolutions.  Dry January.  Lose weight.  Join the gym. 

The attitude we tend to have at this time of year is "F&*k it, I'll enjoy myself now and deal with the consequences in January".  And why not? It's the holiday season after all.

However, a study by the University of Scranton suggests that only 9% of people will keep their new year's resolutions.  US News suggests that 80% of people fail by the second week of February.  How then, can you keep your resolutions & create the successful change you want...AND still have a life that you enjoy to the max?  

Well one way to pre-frame your success in 2018 (and beyond) is by anticipating the barriers and blocks that might stop you.  After all, being forwarned is being forearmed.

 

BREAKING THE ALL OR NOTHING CYCLE

The thing that is ultimately going to scupper you is the all or nothing binary mindset. 

When we go too far one way...whether we eat too much, drink too much, spend too much etc., we tend to throw caution and moderation to the wind and go full tilt.  This is the ALL mentaility.

After that though, we might end up feeling hungover/horrible/guilty etc. and go into the opposite mindset.  We promise ourselves we will detox, control our spending, stop drinking, go to the gym...and use willpower. 

BUT willpower can run out quickly. 

For some, this means digging in and pushing through. However, for many, its the moment they give up.  They feel lousy for failing and start the cycle all over again.  They likely don't value the effort they made and feel they are back at square one again.  This is the NOTHING mentality. 

It doesn't have to be either all or nothing.  If you set yourself up to keep a modicum of control, moderation and awareness, you are giving yourself a massive headstart for anything you are trying to achieve.

Below are 3 hacks you can use to pre-frame your success in the holidays or any other time you want to create change.

 

1) KAIZEN VIA BABY STEPS

Kaizen is a Japanese concept meaning 'continual improvement', often through small but meaningful steps.  So, whatever you think your goal or resolution in the new year might be, what tiny baby steps can you take towards it during the holidays (or at any other manic time)?

So for example, if getting fitter is your goal, could you go for a couple of short walks during the holiday period?  If it is to drink less, could you do the old 'one drink, one glass of water' trick?

Think really small but achievable here.  If you can set tiny steps that you can 100% achieve, you set yourself up for a hit of dopamine, the achievement and reward neurotransmitter.   This will give you a feeling of achievement, but also mean that you have a bit of momentum.  You won't be starting cold in January.

 

2) IFTTT

What on earth is IFTTT when it's at home.  Well the name comes from the app If This Then That...in other words, if X happens, that triggers Y to happen.  This is essentially scenario planning  and setting yourself up for dealing with any blocks or barriers that are going to throw you off track.

To use IFTTT, think of anything that might really trip you up or throw you off track.  For example, if losing weight is your goal, that holiday party you are invited to with nothing but cakes, cheese and sweets might trip you up. 

More specifically, what are things at the holiday party that could cause you to eat more than you'd like?  A boring conversation? Being stood next to the food table?  Super delicious food?

Once you know what the triggers could be (the 'If This' part), then you decide AHEAD OF TIME what you want to do in that scenario (the 'Then That').  This will help prevent you falling down the 'all or nothing' hole.  So for the above example, you might eat before you go to the party, you might base yourself in a different room to where the food is, you might find the most interesting conversations you can find.

The point is that you are making the decision of what to do ahead of time, before the temptation is there.  By pre-making the decision, you are not leaving it to your willpower...which will eventually crumble.

 

3) KILL THE ENERGY SUCKS

One of the things that tends to throw of us track is stress...and this time of year can be very stressful (and so can any other time of year).  One of the biggest sources of stress are the people, situations and circumstances that drain our energy.  When we are stressed, bang goes that willpower and desire to move forwards and up comes the want to make ourselves feel better using whatever our poison is.

So, a bit like IFTTT, think about all the things in the holiday season that are likely to drain your energy.  That might be nagging aunt or uncle who is always asking why you are *still* single, going to one too many social events etc.

When you know what your potential energy drains are, what can you do to either eliminate them or minimise their impact?  That might involve some difficult decisions, such as saying thanks but no thanks to social invitations or avoiding people that you would not to see. 

Once you have an idea of what you can do, you actually need to do it.  Taking action is doing to make the difference here by killing the energy suck and giving you more peace, space to breathe and momentum forward.

 

CREATING A BIGGER CHANGE - SWITCH IS COMING

So there you go, with a bit of forethought, the holiday season doesn't have to be a write off around your goals.  In fact it can be the launchpad for a flying start into 2018...without having to sacrifice the ability to enjoy yourself.

If you want to go beyond just resolutions and wish for 2018 to be your most successful year yet, or you are wanting to create change in your life, we have just the thing for you.

Next week, we are launching Switch, a brand new six module course to help you create a future you truly want to live.

This course is the culmination of our combined 40 years of experience and expertise in coaching and personal development and is designed to help you:

• Figure our what you TRULY want in 2018 and beyond
• Set goals that help you create the future you've always dreamed of
• Build an achieveable roadmap to your goals
• Mine past failures and achievements for the emotional fuel to drive you forward
• Harness the power of purpose to keep you going when the going gets tough
• Anticipate the barriers and blocks that might get in the way

If you are in a change moment, or about to go through one, then Switch might be exactly what you are after.  Head on over to https://www.mavericksunlimited.com/switch/ where you can find out more and register your interest for a pre-launch heads up and a special thank you for being an early bird!