Lifestyle Over Results

Hello everyone! Is it me or do you also feel that the first two months of 2021 went by quickly?

New Years are wonderful. I always look forward to them as they mean I can start afresh. They also mean newer experiences, more memories, more laughter and more connection.

Every time a new year comes we all are charged up to make resolutions to improve the quality of our life. We write a list of things we want to achieve by the end of the year. We envision ourselves reaching those milestones. A huge part of reaching our goals comes from visualising the outcomes.

But more often than not, that’s where everyone’s interest and enthusiasm starts to wane. We go back to the same routines, procrastinating and convincing ourselves that we will start afresh the following month. And by that time, the year comes to an end. The cycle continues year after year.

What goes wrong here, you may wonder? Why is it so hard to keep up with our goals and resolutions?

In one of James Clear’s newsletters, he states – “It’s common to want results. It’s rare to want the lifestyle.”

That pretty much answers where we falter. We imagine our future selves achieving all that we’ve planned. We forget to actually take tiny, actionable steps towards those goals.

There’s a saying by Lao Tzu, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” And so, it is!

Every big change we want to bring into our lives is a combination of a string of lifestyle changes. It is absolutely true that the process is more enjoyable than the end result. When we put our entire mind and soul into what we’re working on, we tend to enjoy each and every moment of it.

This year, instead of keeping a vague goal for myself, I chose to keep tinier goals that together will contribute to the lifestyle I dream of living. It ranges from physical health, mental health, intellectual health and a few others. They are small goals that I hope I can achieve by the year-end.
Instead of envisioning the results, I am actively trying to imagine how my life would look like when I incorporate each of these goals.

So far, I can see wonderful results, and a lot of positive changes in myself. Which is proof enough that this works very well.

James Clear further says,
In the long-run, the people who succeed are the ones who want to live the lifestyle that precedes the results. Stop asking, “What results do I want to have?” Start asking, “What lifestyle do I want to live?”

So ask yourself today, “What life do I want to live?” Write it down in great detail. And then start bringing in minute changes gradually. Giving yourself that liberty to bring positive changes in your life is the highest form of self-care.

Until next time, stay blessed, stay safe!
Don’t let your guard down. The pandemic isn’t over yet!