Hypnosis – A powerful start to motivate you through the New Year.

It’s a New Year – It’s Time for a New You!

As a New Year is upon us, many of us will make New Year Resolutions.  Unfortunately, many of us will lose focus of our goals or lose motivation to reach them… sometimes even before starting them. In fact, many people make their resolutions without the intention of following through; basically, making resolutions they know will not last.

Why do so many resolutions fail?  

While there are many theories on why, I believe that we tend to begin these goals with great sincerity, “gusto”, will-power and passion. These are all emotions that can easily fade.  We simply cannot keep the will-power or the emotional energy to be focused, without proper preparation and planning.

It’s a marathon, not a sprint!

 

A marathon runner must train to condition their body and mind, they must be dedicated, and most train with others. Someone truly wishing to meet their goal must prepare to face the obstacles in the same way.

Like the runner who is dedicated to their long-term goal, it is important to keep your eyes on your long term goal. It is fair to say that many people lose focus of the goal they want to reach, because it is too far-off, too large or maybe too abstract.

Tricks to make your goals stick!

 

The best advice is simple, don’t overdo it! Having too many goals at once or setting your goals too high will only set you up for failure.  Instead, set yourself up for success!  To put the odds in your favour there are a few simple tricks that you can use:

• Select one or two goals. Being selective helps keep you focused. If you have other things you want to work on, you can address these things later.  You can have a “mid-summer resolution” or “fall resolution”, if you need it.
• Make your goals feel real to you via visualizations and through imagination.  The more realistic you can create the outcome in your mind, the easier it will be to reach! Here’s how to do that: MOVE “towards something” and not “away from something”.  Instead of focusing on what you want to change, imagine your goals and how good it will feel to reach them.
• Ensure that you make SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-Bound) goals. This will help to keep you on track for success.
• Write them down, journal or document, as this process helps you internalize your commitments, and can refer back to them should you become discouraged. It will also remind you of the reasons you wanted to reach your goal.
• Choose a coach, partner or someone to work with. Humans are social beings and having the encouragement of another person can go a long way in helping reach our goals.  In the same way as weight loss coaches or gym coaches can hold you accountable and motivate you, having someone to work with can help you reach your News Year’s resolutions.
• Understand that failure is a great chance to learn! While it would be wonderful to be absolutely successful at everything we attempt, the reality is that we all fail at some endeavour or another.  To quote Thomas Edison “Many of life's failures are men who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up” and “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work”.  Indulging in the chocolate chip cookie -or two- or missing a gym class might be discouraging, but it is just a chance to learn -simply take the time to analyse the situation and to see if you are doing too much, verify if you are rewarding your successes, etc.. Viewing these experiences not as failures but as challenges and motivators can energize your push towards your goals (for example: last time I went to the buffet I made unhealthy choices; next time I will prove to myself that I can make better selections). Use this as an opportunity to take a step back and to be honest with yourself.
• Use hypnosis – either self-hypnosis or with a hypnotist! Hypnosis helps to change behaviour from the inside out, it can help you stay more motivated, goal-oriented and help break old past habits quickly and easily.  The hypnotist can also help you design your goals so that they become “SMART” goals, take on the role as coach and help you deal with the “hiccups” on your road to success. 

In order to break the past habits, a hypnotist can help align your internal programming (the pattern that keeps pushing us towards our habits) and your conscious desire (the resolution).  Check out the third link provided below for more information.

It is time to be honest with yourself: did you make the same resolutions this year as you did last year; how many times have you made the same resolution; or have you just given up on making resolutions all together? Well isn’t it time to make that New Year’s Resolution finally stick? When you are ready, book an appointment with your hypnotist to help you reach your goals and to super boost your resolution!

Remember that hypnosis has been successfully used for a variety of issues including weight loss, pain management, smoking cessation, nail biting, hair pulling, self-esteem, stress reduction, fears and phobias, exam anxiety, insomnia, migraines and more.

For Further Review:

I really like the definition of “resolution” on this website: http://www.hypnosistoday.com/hypnosis/207/putting-your-resolutions-to-work/
One of my favorite YouTube channels, ASAP Science, has a very thought-provoking video on the Productivity (the video is interesting both for its discussion on productivity and on willpower - it can also be easily inferred to apply to resolutions) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHfjvYzr-3g
Here is an easy to read example of how we develop habits: http://www.ontrachypnosis.com/keep-new-years-resolutions.asp 

About the author

Derrick Barnes, RSW Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, uses the latest techniques and evidence based research to help you focus on reaching your goals. His approach combines coaching techniques, solution-focused brief hypnotherapy and mindfulness. Even though Derrick focuses on future successes and not past challenges, he will, upon request, offer various other services such as past life regression or energy work.

Read more about Derrick Barnes.