It’s the end of January. For many of us it’s the time when resolutions fade, motivation dips, and habits we promised ourselves were long gone start sneaking back in like they own the place. You vowed this year would be different. You’d decided you’d move more, eat better, stress less, and sleep longer. This was meant to be the year you would live more consciously. Just weeks ago, you were excited to spend this new year living with purpose and energy.
But here’s the truth: talking and doing are two very different things. Without awareness, our old habits become new-again habits fast.
This doesn’t happen because of a lack of willpower. We slip back into old and familiar habits, even if they’re unwanted, because our nervous system is wired for efficiency, not change.
Our brain loves the familiar. It takes a whole lot less energy to repeat yesterday than to reinvent tomorrow.
How can we avoid this situation? The question we should be asking ourselves on a regular basis isn’t “Did I fail?” The question we should be asking is “Am I paying attention?”
Autopilot Is the Enemy of Longevity
Rarely does anyone age suddenly. We age gradually, day by day, moment by moment, because of our habits, because of the choices we make. It’s those small unconscious patterns we’ve established that slowly create how we think, move, and feel on a daily basis.
Think about it. The body you’re living in a 50, 60, 70, or even 25 wasn’t built in a year. It was built slowly by our choices, including the ones that happen when we’re not aware that we’re even making a choice. When you act on autopilot, regardless of the situation, your body, mindset, and your life follow the existing tracks, the ones you previously laid, not the new ones you started laying down then stopped. That’s why awareness is your most powerful health tool.
What you want to do is catch yourself. Interrupt the pattern. Redirect the energy.
Catch Yourself Moments
At The 100 Year Lifestyle, we talk a lot about adaptability. That’s your body’s amazing ability to change, heal, and grow. But adaptability doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when you notice and respond instead of mindlessly repeating.
The good news is that there are plenty of moments every day when you can catch yourself and act more mindfully. Here are just a few moments of opportunity:
- When you reach for your phone to scroll every time you have 30 free seconds or more. What if you used those moments to breathe, get up and move around, or even just close your eyes and center yourself? How would your body react and reset if you didn’t default to screen time?
- When you skip a walk because it’s cold, or dark, or you’re tired. None of those excuses are anything new. Find a different time or different way (think mall walking or the treadmill) to get those steps in. You can do it.
- When you feel tension and push through instead of adjusting your posture or taking a stretch break. The project will still be there in 5 or 10 minutes. You really want to ditch that “just push through” attitude. It’s not a good thing.
- When you settle for “fine” instead of choosing “fully alive.” Our minds are some of the biggest culprits when it comes to autopilot. Was your day good or was it really good, or maybe not good at all. Calling everything good or fine just dilutes our senses including our sense of joy, fulfillment, and creation. Seeing life in all its full-color glory and using the right words to express our experience are great ways to catch ourselves and stop the mindlessness.
Just a reminder, you established those goals, those changes you wanted to make, not just because everyone does that at the start of the new year. You made these commitments to yourself because these are things you want! Whatever the things you choose are, they’re important to you, and that makes them worthwhile. They directly relate to your health or your quality of life, and likely both.
At The 100 Year Lifestyle we know that enjoying your healthy lifestyle is every bit as important as having more healthy years to enjoy. So, every time you catch yourself and make a conscious choice, realize that you’re really rewiring your nervous system for healthy longevity.
Same Habits, Different Results? Not Likely.
We’ve all heard the phrase, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten,” or some variation of that Jessie Potter quote. Bottom line: You can’t get new results from old patterns. If you want to live differently this year, you have to think and act differently now.
Ask yourself:
- What habits from last year have crept back in without me realizing?
- What new habits do I actually want to start and keep for the long haul?
- In what ways am I still reacting instead of choosing?
Chances are the changes you want to see don’t require a massive overhaul. They require daily awareness. Catch yourself. Take a moment to reset and recommit. Remember that every choice counts.
Turn Awareness into Action
So, even if you want to make the changes, and understand the process, how do you make change stick? Here’s how:
- Pause before you react. Even five seconds of awareness can change a decision.
- Move your body daily. Motion fuels change. It keeps your brain alert and adaptable.
- Align your environment. Make healthy choices easy to reach and unhealthy ones harder.
- Check in daily. Ask yourself if you’re drifting or directing.
Pro Tip: As with just about everything in life, this isn’t about perfection. It’s about consistency and the desire to live on purpose.
This Year, Don’t Just Change. Evolve.
The end of January doesn’t mean that it’s too late to do what you want to do this year. It’s your daily awareness that makes a new you, and that’s any day of the year. So, the first of the year might be a distant memory. But regardless of the date on the calendar, catch yourself. Notice where you’ve drifted and pull your focus back to where you want it to be. Give your attention and awareness to the life you’re building, one conscious habit at a time.
That’s how you can create your ideal 100 Year Lifestyle. But you don’t have to do it alone. Find a 100 Year Lifestyle provider near you to help you on your journey.
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