Does a New Year Mean a New You?
Happy New Year!
2017 is finally here are you excited? All those hopes and dreams that have been on the back burner can finally come alive! Or will they?
Of course it will its a new year duh! :) And besides: the advertisements are raving about how you could look sexy in just 90 days. A webinar promises you can make 6-figures a month, and the banner from the porn site keeps telling you you can gain two inches in two weeks, damn the year looks promising!
Year after year we set goals with great intention: positive, well meaning goals that will enhance the quality of life. But time and time again, those new goals suddenly fade as quickly as they came. Some of us make it half way through the year (congratulations to those who do) while mysterious forces outside of ones control usually wipe out the rest before the summer.
Somehow life seems to throw innumerable amounts of struggle conflict and strife at us and the flat tire, student loans and SEO just kinda wash over our goals like a tidal wave. Bummer. But fear not, there's always... next year.. Well the verdict is in and guess what?
A NEW YEAR DOESN'T GUARANTEE A NEW YOU
Awww man. :( Don't worry, your hopes and dreams will surely finding love, warmth and acceptance in the New Year Resolution grave yard; which may be full .
Nonetheless, raise your spirits ol sport, I wouldn't leave you hanging like that. The truth is , a new year doesn't guarantee a new you, but you already knew that, didn't you. The new year doesn't guarantee anything to anybody. Matter of fact, tomorrow isn't even guaranteed. The real issue is rooted in a most auspicious place: in our minds! You see ol sport, we keep waiting for the perfect time to start living and the perfect time is NOW! No change happens in the past or future, but that ever fleeting moment we call now is where the magic is.
But you knew that, that's exactly why you made your news years resolution: but this time, your prepared. Armed with mantras, meditation and positive thinking; your horoscope has foreseen victory for you are are equipped with the "new" energy of Aquarius.
That's all fine and dandy, however, there is one problem..
THE PROBLEM IS MARKETING
You see ol sport, we've been sold lies. Someone, somewhere in a big building has given you the impression that change can start today and be accomplished in 90 days. But wait, that's totally possible: sssssshhhh..quiet your mind and allow me to finish the story.
Of course change can happen in 90 days. But surely whatever we're trying to rectify didn't become such a pressing issue in 90 days.
We've been sold the instant gratification pill and we are force fed them daily! Instant this, quick that. 30-day, 60-day, 90-day to a better blah blah blah. Marketers are big time drug dealers and they sell us mental crack! We all want to feel good and if we can purchase our way into heaven we would.
Don't get it twisted, there is absolutely nothing wrong with 30, 60, or 90 day transformations. The problem is the source of motivation: is it largely external or internal?
External sources of motivation have one motivate in mind: PROFIT! Visual drug dealers are going to shape and craft an irresistible offer that you'll be happy to pay for: the corporate dope boys sure know how to whip up a cookie! but wait, the catch.
You've bought the membership, the ab-roller, weight-loss drinks, the 6-figure formula but why are you doing what you are doing? What is the meaning, what is the purpose, what is your motivation, drive and desire to achieve the goal?
You see, the marketers paint the picture for you, its easy. No mental effort required: they've done all the hard work, all you've got to do is purchase the mental crack.. I mean, solution.
The marketers knew you wanted something before you knew you wanted it. They crafted an image that appealed to the senses. The promise.. CHANGE! And you want to change ol sport, don't you. That's why you gladly made your purchase. We all love something new, that sense of accomplishment, the high hopes and promise of progress.. well, the high only lasts so long, and then the harsh reality sets in: this is more difficult than I thought it would be.
We start to realize it's going to require time, energy, effort, focus, attention, commitment, dedication, will power, vision, drive and patience.
I know ol sport, the package didn't mention anything about that. Don't be disappointed, as a Transformation Coach I can help bridge the gap between problem and solution with perspective. So what do you need to keep your dreams afloat long enough to call them a goal and actually achieve them?
YOU'LL NEED INTERNAL MOTIVATION
You'll want internal motivation because its within your control! You see whatever we spend time thinking, feeling and acting on we actually manifest into our life. Internal motivation happens within our mind and we can create more motivation when life seems to throw us to ground.
The marketers have their own internal motivation and that pushes them to spend money, time, energy, willpower and more just to get you to buy the product.
The product in and of itself is not bad, but it is just that, a product. In order to get the full value from your purchase you'll need PURPOSE! Purpose has logical reasons, emotional reasons, thought, effort and energy behind it. True purpose that is actually linked to who you are or who you want to become will be the driving force for you in the new year.
What happens at the end of the 90-days if you don't lose all the weight as advertised; you do a webinar and it generates absolutely no money and what happens when those hunger cravings kick in and the 120 calorie protein powder isn't cutting it?
What is going to drive you forward, push you to the next level, past failure, past trial & error, and past the time-frame advertised? You've got to have purpose and real meaning behind the things you do. If nothing else changes in 2017 you can start to do things with more purpose.
Ol sport, go back, remember a time when you really really wanted something and you stopped at nothing to obtain it. A time when you stretched out your imagination and you were engulfed in the reality of your desire. Maybe it was when you wanted to finish a long book, learn how to play an instrument, learn another language or just wake up and see your first boyfriend or girlfriend at school. Ah yes, remember a time when you did something with zeal, passion and fire. No advertisements were needed, no 30-day money back guarantee or promise of monetary gain.
That one moment you truly went after your dreams, no matter how big or small, you did it, with passion and purpose. Internal motivation is the driving force of life. External prepackaged mental crack will only get you so far: when the high fades you'll need something else to ride on. You'll need a reason to persist, something that's worth fighting for. So the real question is..
HOW & WHAT DO I CHANGE?
You change your mind ol sport, you change your mind.
The new year does not bring a new you until you change your old mind. Its as simple as that. Now that you know what to change (your mind, ) I'd suppose you'd liked to know how to change. Well, you have the honor to choose differently: to redirect the light and focus back onto your own mind. You've got to get in touch with the real you! The reasons won't magically appear upon the screen of your mind like television: you'll actually have to think, care and give a got damn about the answers. You'll have to fall in love with the process. The process is the struggle of going from where you are, to where you want to be. No one can truly prepare you for change, besides change itself. So what does that mean, that means you must find purpose that will get you through the process.
Televisions always shows us the end result: the before and after but rarely during. We're always baited with a product and a result. But in 2017 you can flip the script and fall in love with the purpose and process!
It's going to take time, energy and effort, but what do you have to lose, its a new year after all! Doing the same things repeatedly and expecting different results is insanity by definition, today you can change that.
Starting now, today, right this second you can choose ol sport. You can choose to take your time and fall in love with yourself. Spend some time searching your own mind for answers and not judging what you hear. The theme for 2017 is to allow yourself to discover purpose and then fall in love with the process of becoming.
Happy new year!
- Coach Najee
