Oh boy! It’s that time again when so many people make resolutions, usually to go on a diet or to start working out. While resolutions may be good intentions to enhance your life, most are abandoned by the end of January. In fact, research by fitness app Strava found that most people give up on their resolutions by January 19th, which they call “Quitters Day”. Talk about being short-lived.
Well, if you want more of the same then keep making these empty promises to yourself. If you want a more fulfilling life, then think transformation not resolutions.
Fitness app Strava named January 19th “Quitters Day”.
What is Transformation?
Transformation is a fundamental change or shift, a metamorphosis if you will. Real, effective, and lasting change requires more than 19 days and goes deeper than superficial desires. While losing weight, working out, and saving money are great ways to enhance your life experience, they only scratch the surface. Thus, if you don’t go further than the outside then you are more likely to give up.
“Transformation literally means going beyond your form.”
–Wayne Dyer
If you really want to slim down, be more active, be healthier, improve finances or have healthier relationships, then you must transform the beliefs that create and maintain the conditions you’re unhappy with. Resolutions just don’t cut it; they don’t go deep enough.
How a Client Transformed Her Beliefs About Food
I had a client who wanted bariatric surgery because her many resolutions to diet and lose weight failed. She was required by the surgeon to get a psychological assessment to address her issues with food before the procedure.
Our sessions revealed that her relationship with food was the root of her overeating. My client’s belief that food was the only source of love and connection with her family and friends led her to eat large portions, eat when she was full, and eat junk food.
Only when my client acknowledged and examined her underlying belief was she able to transform it and know that food was not her only source of love. Post-op, she controlled her portions, said “no” to the wrong foods, and stopped eating when full. My client opened to new ways of experiencing genuine love and kept the weight off because she transformed her beliefs about food.
Transform to Live Better
Transformation is an internal realignment of your beliefs and values. Inherent in this realignment is a steadfastness that does not require drummed up motivation nor external pressure. And transformation involves genuine commitment that endures setbacks and plateaus. You will flow with the change process rather than resist it. And when you change your beliefs, your thoughts and behaviors adapt accordingly.
My intent with this blog is to point your attention toward transformation and away from resolutions. Those false promises are superficial, fleeting, and set you up for failure. Please sit with that for a moment.
Resolutions do not work. If you really want better health, finances, and relationships, then you must acknowledge and accept that transformation is the way to better health, more joy, meaningful relationships, and an abundance of goodness. This the first step in the transformation process. That is where I want this blog to take you. And I encourage you to work with a health and wellness professional on the next steps. A life or health coach, psychotherapist, or other health expert who addresses your wholeness can guide you to success.
