As I said in my last post, I’m going to help you beat the New Year’s resolution rush by giving you some tips you can use right now on how to create the optimal mindset for change.  Why wait?  A little readiness goes a long way when you’re trying to build new habits.  If you start now, you’ll be way ahead of the game next month.

Losing weight and getting in shape are two of the most popular New Year’s resolutions.  Walk into any gym on January 1st, and you’ll find all the bikes in the spin class occupied and the 5-pound dumbbells in short supply.  But by Valentine’s Day, you’ll have the place to yourself again when the exercise converts have all gone back to their couches.

If you don’t want to rejoin the ranks of the couch potatoes yourself, you’ll need a plan.   More important, before you even think of making a resolution, you should ask yourself how your life would be different if you were to achieve your goal.  Too often, we tell ourselves, “I need to [insert target for change here]” without asking ourselves, “Why?”

I just signed on to participate with a few friends in a workout program to motivate me to exercise more.  Before starting, I had to set up a “before” profile and determine my goal.  Lose weight?  Sure, I could shed a few vanity pounds, but since I’m already at a healthy weight and all my clothes fit, this wouldn’t motivate me.  Get healthy?  Too vague.  Tone up?  Sounds great, but not compelling enough.  Increase energy?  Ah, now we’re talking!

Although I already have a modest exercise program in place, my workday routine is very sedentary.  I spend an hour and a half or more sitting in my car and ten or eleven hours on top of that sitting in my office.  Makes me tired just thinking about it.  Yes, increasing my energy is a goal I can really embrace!  It touches on so much I value:  feeling physically and mentally on top of my game, being clear-headed and creative, having the stamina to get out and do the active pursuits I enjoy.  And, better yet, I can get instant results instead of having to wait months to see a difference.

The best “why” will give you an immediate return on your investment.  I’m not saying you shouldn’t create long-term goals.  But those aren’t usually enough to help you stick to your resolve when short-term pleasures beckon.

It’s much more effective to connect your goals to your values.  Being thinner may seem appealing for a lot of reasons, but taking off the 10 or 20 pounds most people want to shed probably won’t change your life.   If your weight is so excessive that it currently interferes with your activities or undermines your health, that’s another story.

So you need to figure out what would really drive you.  Do you want to feel more confident?  More in control of your decisions?  Are you sick of being sluggish?  How about being able to run around with your kids?  Or set a good example for them?

Finding your why isn’t a one-size-fits-all process.   There isn’t a universal solution.  You have to zero in on what’s truly important to you.  Where there’s a why, there’s a way.