A New Year: Time to Renew and Refresh
Author: Chad Armijo, NLP Master Life Coach
As we close out this chaotic and challenging year of 2020, most of us have a goal to renew and refresh our lives for 2021. Some may want to renew and refresh their bodies, minds, spirit, career, or relationships. We often refer to this act as setting our new year resolution(s). There will be many people setting their new year resolutions yet very few resolutions will actually be reached.
Have you ever noticed how busy the gym is beginning in the new year (2021 may be an
exception, of course)? The gyms are usually packed with people trying to adhere to
their resolution of losing weight, getting in shape, gaining confidence, etc. for about a
month or two into the new year. Then those people will gradually fall to the
wayside...but why?
Mindset plays a big factor in understanding why many people are set up to fail in their
new year’s resolutions. The simplest way to put it is that most people who set their
resolutions are not often engaged in setting goals on a regular basis. This means they
do not have the proper experience or dedicated mindset to achieve their goal. Goal
setting and goal attainment is a skill that requires practice and discipline to master yet
most people only do it once a year which sets puts them at an immediate disadvantage.
Instead of creating a list of grand new year resolutions, one is better off by creating
small goals to reach each day. These goals do not need to be anything monumental or
extravagant. Just set small goals each day such as “Today I will clean out the garage I
have been meaning to get to” or even “Today I will make someone smile.” It is the small
victories we achieve each day that leads us to our ultimate goals. Remember that old,
albeit slightly disturbing, saying “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”
Most people are so caught up living in the future (or the past) that they neglect their
present lives. This is one of the biggest reasons people do not achieve the goals they
set out to. It is necessary to enjoy each day to the fullest in order to enjoy our future to
its fullest. This year has forced us to come to terms with our own fragility and mortality.
Unfortunately, this has caused many people to stop living their lives and instead fall into
a pit of fear, worry, and self-defeat. However, there are many others who have decided
to live each day in the most complete manner they can imagine.
During the challenges of the pandemic, there are many people who have created new
opportunities for themselves. There are people who have learned to enjoy their lives in
a different manner than they did previously to this year. They have created new and
better goals for themselves. They have engaged in online courses to better themselves
or improve upon their knowledge in some way. People have begun to think for
themselves when previously they allowed outside forces (mainstream media, social
media, family, friends, colleagues, etc.) to do it for them. The point is that we, and only
we, have the ability to change the world we see around us and accomplish the goals we
set out to.
This leads me to my next point, self-discipline. Many people are severely lacking in
self-discipline because it is not fun to talk about or to engage in most of the time. This is
common knowledge to most of you, I’m sure, but I still see masses of people with a
savior complex waiting for someone or something to save them from all the negative
things going on in their lives. This is just not going to happen. When we rely on others
to save us from that which we fear, we give away our power in exchange. This means
that any opportunity to renew or refresh will be solely dependent on someone or
something else.
Let me reiterate that you are in control of all that happens in your life whether that thing
is perceived as positive or negative. This may sound like a sad state of affairs, which is
what I thought when I initially learned this lesson, but it is actually very empowering. It
is an incredible feeling to know that all the power we need to create abundance, beauty,
and joy in our lives is always, and has always been, available to us. We just need to
make the choice to use it to our advantage!
Finally, it is important to understand that in order to create true, lasting, renewal and
refreshment in our lives we must be willing to let go of all the past circumstances in our
lives that no longer serve our higher purpose. How can a person expect to find a
wonderful relationship in their lives if they are unwilling to let go of the negative beliefs
they have created due to past relationships? It simply cannot be done. We must create
room in our lives for all of the good things to come by releasing ourselves of all our
negative thinking and past experiences that do not align with our new goal(s).
2020 has been a heck of a year, to say the least. For those in the proper mindset, it has
been a year of opportunity, self-reflection, and personal growth. If this was not your
mindset thus far, do not fret. Each day is a new opportunity to create positive change.
Make the decision to live your life exactly how you want to and do not stray from it. Set
little goals each day to act as stepping stones toward your larger goal and do not forget
to live in the moment...not the future. It is also worth remembering that in order to truly
enjoy the beauty of the sunrise we must first experience the darkness before the dawn.
I sincerely wish you all a happy 2021 filled with love, joy, happiness, and abundance.
Chad Armijo is a Pilates and fitness instructor at the Westin Athletic Club (since 2014)
and the author of, Wake Up & Re-Calibrate: Mindset for Success in the New World,
available on Amazon. He is also a Certified NLP Master Life Coach, holds two Masters
degrees in Business Management and Adult Teaching, and is the owner of
コメント