New Year’s is one of the most exciting times of the year. A new year, a new start, a new chance. People are motivated for change and looking to improve their wellbeing. They want to lose weight, feel more energized, receive a promotion, find happiness, etc. Unfortunately, resolutions are long forgotten usually as soon as February rolls around. The reason being is that people are overwhelmed with such drastic measures that are needed to make the required change, that after a while the goal seems unattainable.
The trick to sticking with your resolution is not necessarily changing your resolution, but altering the approach to obtaining it. There is a philosophy that can offer guidance to securing a long lasting change. This is called Kaizen. Kaizen is a principle originating from Japan after World War II that entails the practice of continuous incremental improvement.
The easiest way of making a big change is by consistently making small changes. Extremely small changes. The idea of Kaizen is to make changes that are so small that they are not difficult to do. After time, these small and easy alterations will add up to become big progress. Kaizen was originated in Japan to create improvements in the workplace, aiming for improvement in productivity, effectiveness, safety and waste reduction. This philosophy can easily be utilized to create change within any aspect of your life. If you want to lose weight, practice Kaizen by eating one less bite at each meal. Do this for a week and in the following week, practice eating two less bites at each meal and so on. If you want to conquer a marathon, start by walking a block for a week. The following week, walk two blocks. It is that easy. These changes are not overwhelming or depriving. By removing the pressure to lose those extra fifteen pounds or to tackle those 26.2 miles, and turning the focus on the immediate goal of eating one less bite of food or walking one extra block, the task at hand becomes not only easy, but obtainable.
Small, slow and effortless changes will allow you to get closer and closer to a goal. This method will also prevent crashing, quitting or reverting to old ways. There is no “cold turkey,” drastic lifestyle changes or radical revolutions. You can take the largest, most intimidating goals and break them down into small and manageable actions.
Change is challenging, but can be extremely rewarding. It takes time. Some tips to keep in mind during your journey include:
-Make a detailed list of your personal goals. The more specific you are, the more likely you will get exactly what you want.
-Be patient. “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” And neither were you. You are always changing and evolving. Trust the process.
-Be gentle with yourself. Some days you may not succeed the way you want and that’s ok. Tomorrow is a new day to begin again. Forgive yourself for your missteps and continue to move forward.
-Meditate. Breathe. Let go. Allow yourself to unwind each day and release mental and physical clutter that may be blocking you from the great gifts you could be receiving. Release anything that does not serve you, motivate you or raise your personal and physical vibration!
-Say thank you, but more importantly, mean it. You attract the energy that you put out. Like attracts like. If you are positive, thankful and confident in yourself, you will continue to attract more abundance and positivity in your life.
Wishing you a joyous, abundant and inspiring New Year!
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