Happy, Happy New Year!

The book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol S Dweck, Ph.D., may change the way you see the world, and yourself. It did for me. Recommended to me by my good friend Michele Woodward, this book shows how powerful a learning, or growth, mindset can be. And as I decide whether or not I will be setting a New Years Resolution this year – they never seem to last – I am using this book to make ones that actually have a shot at coming to pass.

See, our usual resolutions, to get fit, lose weight, eat right, etc. don’t leave much room for trial and error. They impose a do it perfectly or don’t bother attitude onto us. This sets most of us up for failure, every time.

So here’s how to set yourself up for success:

1. Make resolutions you want to keep for you. No one else, not because you think you should. Stuff you really want to do.
2. Make those resolutions learning ones.

See, the resolution to eat right, or stick to a diet, is difficult and not especially fun. The resolution This Year I Will Learn How to Cook Vegetables Deliciously sounds much more fun and doable, right? It allows for trial and error, doesn’t assume you will be perfect from the start. You can take a few cooking classes, check out a few cookbooks from the library, and experiment. By the end of the year, you will have learned a new skill, and gotten healthier in the process. Probably even lost some weight and made it much easier to stick with a diet, if you are even still interested in that.

Instead of This Year I Will Exercise Five Days a Week, make it This Year I Will Learn Which Exercise My Body Likes. You should try many different activities until one or two really suit you. If you don’t love Zumba, it is not your fault, it just isn’t the one your body likes. Try something else and see how it feels. Because really, the best exercise is the one you want to do. Then, resolve to Learn How to Fit My Fun Fitness into My Schedule. Way more fun.

Or This Year I Will Learn How to Cook for Myself. This Year I Will Learn How to Plan Menus for Cooking at Home. This Year I Will Learn How to Make My Health a Priority. That’s actually a big one, and we can break it down into smaller pieces.

Or how’s this: This Year I Will Learn How Making Small Changes Each Day Affects My Health. Could be a really fun experiment.

Many Happy Resolutions to You. I can’t wait to see where we all are this time next year, and what we have all learned.

A coach is the fastest way to learn, so if learning how to eat more healthfully is on your resolutions list, click the Consultations tab above and lets get you started.