Does this sound familiar?
Somewhere around December 30th you’ve made a resolution…
Perhaps you resolved to eat healthier in 2026…
And you were super proud of yourself because it was a S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-honoring) goal and you could actually see yourself managing this all year!
But then January 5 hits.
Someone has a birthday party and you bypass the bowl of berries to chow down on a piece of cake (okay, two pieces).
One day isn’t horrible, you tell yourself.
But it is. You feel awful. And even when you start it up again, the guilt is right there, tugging you down.
Here we are in February and you’ve given up. “Maybe next year,” you think as you go about another Hump Day.
What if I told you that it is possible to get back in the game — full throttle! No regrets, no guilt or shame!
It’s called, “New Year Jumpstart.”
Whereas a “kickstart” is the initial effort to get started, a jumpstart is for an engine that is dead and needs a bit of battery recharge.
Interested?
Grab some carrots, leave the guilt behind because this year ain’t over yet!
And neither are you!
Sit back while I tell you a game-changer in resolutions — and any goal or plan you’ve ever set out to accomplish when the glitter wore off and you wondered what you were thinking.
Instead of giving up try this instead!
When giving yourself a mental kick in the pants doesn’t work, I have a strategy that will be put you in superdrive!
I call it the anti-resolution.
(Stick with me for a second. I have a point here!)
Back to our “eat healthier” resolution. You might have even gotten a brand-new cookbook for Christmas. A friend suggested a cool-looking app that tracks what you eat and you forked over a monthly subscription to sign up. It’s really exciting!
And really daunting!
Obviously, when I say “anti-resolution” I’m not suggesting you simply resolve to “not eat sweets anymore” or “not to complain about my body image anymore.” That’s a given! And it’s as overwhelming as “eat healthier”!
Just as we need a S.M.A.R.T. goal to know that we’ve achieved the thing, we also need an equally S.M.A.R.T “not” a resolution.
Along the lines of “What am I going to resolve to change” is the concept of “What am I not going to change.” In the “eat healthier” scenario, the “new” New Year’s Resolution is now “I’m going to keep eating healthy foods that I enjoy.”
(Notice I added “healthy” to the anti-resolution. Eating calorie-laden, nutrient-depleted snacks isn’t going to get you to your goal! And we still have a goal!)
Keeping what you’re already doing well is a quick dopamine-hit — and it also energizes you to put a little more challenge to the resolution.
(Another note on resolutions: What you consider “good” might be another’s defintion of “bad.” Dark chocolate, for instance… Or carrots. The debate is on for both of those two foods in terms of “healthy” or “not healthy” — dark chocolate has magnesium, which is needed for mood control and carrots are loaded with sugar because it’s a root vegetable! You’ll always find evidence for either case. Go along with what your gut tells you since being confident about your decisions is 80% of the resolution — and yes, that pun was intentional!)
Ready to take on your New Year’s Resolution once again?!
Ready? On your mark! Get set… Write down your resolution. And then write out what you resolve not to change.
One more thing before I leave you: Twelve months is a long time. (Okay, yeah. We are already in the second month.) A lot is bound to happen in the next ten months — stuff that you have no control over and might seem like it puts you a tailspin. Remember the big picture. We’re on a journey not a day-trip.
Just like any long, arduous journey, you’re bound to get a flat tire at some point. You wouldn’t drive back home and miss out on the upcoming adventure you were headed toward, would you? Of course not! And you don’t have to give up either! Bumps, hiccups, obstacles are normal. What would a road-trip be without a few snags? (Okay, okay, we don’t want to run out of gas in the middle of nowhere. But it sure would make a memorable vacation!!)
Put that spare on and get back on the road!! Your adventure awaits!!!
Last week I said something and here I’m saying it again: It is possible to get back in the game — full throttle! No regrets, no guilt or shame!
Go ahead and try this anti-resolution method!
And circle back and let me know if this “New Year Jumpstart” is a game-changer for a new “you” in 2026!
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