Start Slow, Then Accelerate

image by Filmbetrachter.

New Years resolutions can sometimes create more pressure than is necessary.

Coming from a strong sporting background I often spot common and frequent mistakes made by those that expect to go into an all out high productivity and performance mode, as soon as January arrives.

In my experience, this rarely happens and the self imposed pressure creates an inevitable disappointment through the battle with oneself.

A better idea is to use January to gradually tighten up ones game.

Firstly, know the goals of the year ahead.

I always put this into two sections.

The first is identifying the man I need to be for myself, my family and my society. Knowing what I stand for means I get to actively create the world around me.

A warriors code of honour is the primary goal, not the work I do.

The second is an extension of this character into the work, task and mission.

This way, my values and ethics are projected into the work I do and not rely on them through the position, success and source of work I have chosen to do.

Next is to adjust the food you eat back to an eating plan that facilitates focus, energy and calm. I have found time and time again, that making small adjustments over time, creates good longer term habits, whilst the immediate, extreme approach, more often than not, results in a relapse back to bad habits.

Palate is the first step. You cannot go far on bad fuel and these are often driven by powerful emotional triggers looking for rewards and comfort. By correcting what you eat, you also come face to face with these emotional triggers which will be in everything you do, driving behavioural traits in ways you rarely notice.

Exercise is another area to spend time gradually building back up and easing in. Not every exercise session has to be intense and I have found the routines I give my clients, give them phenomenal results exercising no more than 2-3 times a week.

Look upon exercise as exactly what it is - not just a way to build resilience, energy, strength etc, but to create self belief, conviction behind your words and actions and to unify mind and body, in how you act and move.

The body speaks its own language and this is projected into your environment.

One you know exactly what you want to stand for, this will expose the fears that could conflict with the values you deem important.

This is good. In today’s world we focus heavily on fear avoidance which results in the cultivating of dishonesty, lies and a lack of courage.

A degree of mastering our senses in what we consume, the material we watch and read and how we exercise, means we get to aim different aspects of life towards the same goals.

This is a steady climb, not a sprint.

Be the tortoise at first and not the hare and eventually you will end up a blend of the two.