Real Resolutions Build a Lifestyle
“Motivation gets you going. Habit gets you there.” - Zig Ziglar
Lifestyle > Resolution
There are certainly benefits in the clarity of turning a wish into a goal. With any significant life change, however, the magic is not in the resolution. The magic, if there is such a thing, is in the lifestyle. It's in the hard work. Resolutions exist to kickstart behavior. Realistically, whatever gets a person moving in the right direction towards a goal can produce results. But results are not in the decision, they're in the action. Goals? Big fan. Habits? Even bigger fan.
The true desire of a resolution is the lifestyle.
Think about it… If you’ve ever made a resolution, did it stick? If you said to yourself, "no," was the goal too lofty? Too difficult to sustain? Did you even want change in the first place? And if you said, "yes," then it must not have mattered that you began on January 1. You could have started any other day of the year, right? Maybe a new year was the incentive you needed, but that was just a small part of the behavior choice.
What mattered was the lifestyle change. Not a trick, not a scheme, and not even a resolution. It was action. And that involves much more than just a decision.
The Translation
Find that place where motivation becomes routine.
Contentment isn't in the goals or even the habits; it's in the lifestyle. It's putting a plan into action, it's the positive feedback we gain, and it's the time spent each week building our life: enjoyable food and fitness routines, mentally stimulating work, fun hobbies and restful sleep, and social-emotional bonds with loved ones.
The Execution
Set a one-month goal. Set a year-long goal, if you like.
But a vision needs a plan of action, just like a catalyst needs a conductor. Create a plan to collect the spark of a vision, and carry through on the attainable. One without the other is a waste of energy.
In other words, think about what wishes you have and how you will pursue those as goals. Bigger than that? Continue or set into motion your habits in order to create a lifestyle. Know the days of the week you will make time for your routines. Hold yourself accountable by cueing a reward system.
Plan. Do. Reflect.
The Conclusion
Keep in mind this is ever-changing— even a lifestyle can look different from year to year. Priorities can shift with work and family. Stress and setbacks occur. Yet if we consider all this to be part of the process, part of life, then this big picture vision works to maintain balance and, ultimately, contentment.
A lifestyle is greater than a resolution. Resolutions are too easy to scrap. A balanced lifestyle, on the other hand, fluctuates and evolves but remains intact thanks to the actions that build our routines.
Easier said than done, of course, but we’re not looking for easy… we want worthwhile.
Resources
For more motivation and learning, here are some resources on HABITS I recommend checking out.
Atomic Habits by James Clear
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey
And more…
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