Were more than halfway through 2021. Did you have a New Year's Resolution? How are you progressing with it? Was your resolution a transformation of some sort (physical, mental, spiritual, emotional)? If you are struggling with it or have struggled in the past with such resolutions, it's completely normal. This "New You" you're striving to be has a lot of unknowns that scares the "Old/Existing You". The fact you are trying to better yourself or your situation is irrelevant, the fact that it is different and unknown and hence scary is what your brain finds relevant. We as survivors are hardwired to protect ourselves from danger. The issue is that our brain can't distinguish, due to its primal instinct, that bettering ourselves is quite different than true life-threatening danger. So what often happens is that a tug-of-war occurs. You try to adopt a new habit, diet, exercise routine, but these changes of the norm cause the old you to become uncomfortable and self-sabotage begins to occur (thus the phrase "to get in your own way"). You may begin to tell yourself that "Now's not the right time", "I need to concentrate on ___ instead", "I just need to take a break because of ___". Whatever the rationale is, it always makes sense because most of the time it's your brain hiding FEAR by giving you what your brain has already determined to be LOGIC. I know this sounds crazy that our own brain would work against us, but think of it from this perspective: the current behavior, the current you, has been around for a while and has become powerful. It is predictable, it is safe (hasn't killed you yet), and most importantly it is the "You" your brain knows. If you're having trouble becoming the "New You", there are 3 important things needed for the "New You" to have a chance: Recognize what's going on Decide that your NEW GOALS are more important than your OLD COMFORTS GET HELP TO STAY THE COURSE! *mentor, coach, supportive community There's a good chance your primal brain will see those 3 things as a threat. The key is to learn to ignore that initial fear (fear of change, loss, failure, and even success). When you're able to do that (this is when #3 can be crucial) you can make that necessary leap to the "NEW YOU".
