Mindful in 5 Podcast

Resolutions Failed? Try This Instead.

• Spiwe Jefferson • Season 4 • Episode 95

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How's that commitment to your yearly resolutions holding up? Isn't it fascinating how the echo of resolutions, so vivid in January, tends to dim by mid-year? If you're finding yourself veering from the path you'd envisioned, fret not. You're not alone, and there's a potent tool to realign your trajectory

Dive in as we explore the transformative world of this alternative approach that can rejuvenate those resolutions. From reprogramming our mindset to consistently staying motivated; from building a fortress of self-confidence to minimizing stress, this pivot can become your beacon. Harness this powerful catalyst to nudge your behaviors and beliefs toward positivity. 

Learn the art of shifting challenges into opportunities and fostering a happier, more centered perspective. If your resolutions seem a distant memory, let's rediscover and reshape them through this week's lens. Remember, it's never too late to embrace a positive pivot. 


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Resolutions Failed? Try This Instead.

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

affirmations, resolutions, repeating, goals, mindful, capable, work, feel, drive, talk, stress, life, self confidence, affirming, thin, improve, statement, anxiety, physical health, belief

TRANSCRIPT

0:00 Hello and welcome to Mindful in 5, helping you discover your peaceful path. I'm your host Spiwe Jefferson, author of the Mindful in 5 book series. 


0:14 Did your resolutions fail? What? Who even remembers their new year resolutions by this time of year? (Crickets) Today, we are resurrecting the good intentions you had at the beginning of the year that might have veered off track. Remember, mindfulness is all about… So cast all feelings of guilt aside! You are not alone. Notice how virtually no one else is talking about resolutions right now even though they were supposed to last all year. There's always a way to pivot and reclaim your goals and your good intentions. 


0:16 To illustrate today is our friend from the Mindful in 5 book series, Brianna Patterson. Brianna teaches at an elementary school. She and her husband Rashad, are new empty nesters but at school, she is surrounded by kids. Instead of traditional resolutions, Brianna harnesses the power of affirmations. At the start of each year, she identifies areas she'd like to improve. Then she crafts supportive and positive affirmations. These become daily mantras, reinforcing her intentions. She starts each day with at least 5 minutes of meditation, during which she might recite an affirmation and deeply visualize what it means to her. Her past affirmations have included: I am the best teacher ever. I am perpetually patient with my kids. That’s a big one for her. Lots of visualizing of kids behaving badly and Brianna responding in the constructive way that she wants, rather than allowing irritation to get the better of her.


02:33 Let's dive into the four key benefits of affirmations and why they can be so effective:


  1. Reprogramming Your Mindset: Affirmations help you reprogram your mindset. They have the power to change how you perceive yourself. They help rewrite your narrative. If you’re feeling inadequate about - let’s say - weight loss, you might create an affirmation like "I am worthy and capable of achieving my weight loss goals". That can become a positive reinforcer of your intentions. It can alter behaviors, aligning them with the affirmation. 


  1. 03:22 Staying Focused and Motivated: When resolutions falter, affirmations can re-center our attention. For example, if saving money becomes challenging, telling yourself, "I am responsible and disciplined with my finances," can keep you grounded and support a positive approach to spending.


  1. 03:45 Affirmations can validate your capabilities, making you feel worthy. If climbing the career ladder seems daunting, a simple "I am confident and capable in my work" can bolster your belief in your skills. 


  1. 04:03 Resolutions can sometimes burden us with anxiety. Affirmations, on the other hand, shift this by reinforcing the fact that challenges can be met head-on. An affirmation like, "I am strong and healthy" isn't just an affirmation; it's a pledge to your well-being, promoting a happy, centered mindset.


04:33 Positive affirmations pivot our brains towards optimism. You can start with a simple "I am" statement. Don't worry about fully believing it initially; with time, as the great Zig Ziglar said (he’s my favorite motivational speaker of all time. He’s passed on but his words live forever). Um, the great Zig Ziglar said you move towards the most powerful impression in your mind, I think is exactly what he said. This neuroplasticity process eventually makes positive patterns second nature, enhancing your emotional resilience (rubber band sound).


05:13 I’ll give you a personal example. Once upon a time, I was trying to lose some weight at the beginning of the year, so my affirmation was really simple: “I am thin.” Now, my goal wasn’t actually to be objectively thin, it was just to move myself towards that habit. So one day, I had to go and get my car repaired, and I walked into the lounge area where my car was getting repaired and there was a plate full of free delicious looking donuts. So - and those of you who know me know that I love sweet things, and I certainly love donuts. Krispy Kreme are my favorite in fact. 


05:58 But these weren't Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, but they sure were donuts. And if you can't get Krispy Kreme, any donut is almost the next best thing, right? So I start moving towards these donuts and all of a sudden, this thought popped into my head, I am thin. And then that was followed by another thought, thin people don't eat free doughnuts at the service repair shop. And I literally turned tail and walked away from the donuts. I sat with my back to them because I am thin and then people don't eat free doughnuts. They don't eat doughnuts generally anyway. And that was the thing that went through my head and it changed my behavior. 


06:39 One day - some of you know I am a deputy general counsel at a company and one of my affirmations when I was new was I'm the best Deputy General Counsel ever. Not so much because I felt I was but because I certainly aspire to be. And there was one day where I was over my skis. There was a case that I was not familiar with, and I wasn't quite sure what to do. And instead of being overwhelmed, I remembered, hey, I'm the best Deputy General Counsel ever. And so then I thought, well, what would the best Deputy General Counsel ever do? This is the first step that that person would take. And this is the second step and the next step and the next and the next. And before you knew it, I had addressed the issue. But it was all because I had this affirmation in my head and it moved me in a constructive way to address the issue that was on my desk. So this is the way that affirmations can be really powerful in your life, and move you towards the very thing that you want, even if you might not feel like they're true at the beginning. 


07:55 So try affirmations if your resolutions haven't worked out and see how that goes for you. Tune in next week. It has been a pleasure having you here this week. But come back next week. And let's unpack yet another mindful tool and a mindful strategy to help you discover your peaceful path. Until then this is Spiwe saying be mindful and be well.


James@DiscovertheVoice

08:23 Thank you for listening to Mindful in 5. If you enjoyed it, share it with a friend. Follow and rate it on your favorite podcast platform. Pick up your signed copy of the book in journal from SpiweJefferson.com or unsigned copies from Amazon, Barnes and Noble or wherever you get your books. Visit SpiweJefferson.com to download sample chapters of the book, watch videos and become a mindful ninja. Join us on the LinkedIn Mindful in 5 group and share your thoughts. Until next time, be mindful and be well.