This is it. We’re down to the last 48 hours of 2017! I hope it has been a great year for you and yours. And I’m looking forward to a healthy, productive, and motivating 2018.
As we count down the hours, most of us continue to mentally debate our 2018 New Year’s Resolution. If you’ve been following my first two posts, you’re gearing up for a Post-Normal Resolution. And today I’m offering one final tip.
But first, a quick recap: A Post-Normal Resolution is: simple, measurable, and habit-based. (Which makes it the opposite of what everyone else normally does!)
Now, for a Twist Ending, my last tip doesn’t actually apply to deciding what resolution to make! My last tip applies to you. It applies your long-term mental approach for maintaining your resolution. This tip is based on a Stanford University study I read several years ago. Since then it has made a profound impact on my personal progress and my daily life. Without further ado, here’s the short version of the final tip:
Be Positive! Even if you have to use “poetic license” while doing it, practice only POSITIVE self talk when confronting your challenges over the coming year.
The Stanford study found that “all things being equal, those with a more adaptive psychological frame of mind will do better compared to those who allow negative self-talk or self-doubt to undermine their performance.” When you de-nerdify their findings, it means: people who were positive usually did better than people who were negative.
Struggling to maintain your resolution? Be positive. Dealing with a personal conflict? Be positive. Hit a wall while training? Be positive. Edgy Teen drop his phone in a bowl of ice cream and require an expensive replacement? Be positive as you tell him he’s not going to have a phone for a while. In almost all cases, the outcome will be improved if you maintain a positive mindset and use positive self-talk to maintain your composure.
I hope you’ve enjoyed these tips and some of my suggestions help you embrace new personal changes in 2018. Please keep an eye out for future posts and videos. If you REALLY enjoyed it, consider sharing it.
Be brave. Challenge yourself. Embrace this journey.
-Jon
