The Defy Aging Newsletter
Anti-aging psychology, holistic health, and wellness
a biweekly e-mail newsletter for helping you think, feel, look, and be more youthful and live with purpose.
Number 133
This issue:
Sticky New Year's Resolutions
ACTION TO TAKE
Choose Sticky New Year’s resolutions.
WHY
New Year’s is the worst time to make New Year’s resolutions. Why?
- Many of us stay up too late, drink too much, eat too much, and watch too much TV--not an optimal frame of mind for follow through.
- We are most likely to make changes when life events create leverage (e.g., new health challenges, a job change, divorce). New Year’s Day is an arbitrary day with no leverage.
- People typically set goals that are too high, e.g., get physically fit vs. a baby step such as adding five minutes of stretching at least five times a week.
- People typically set rigid goals, e.g., deciding to exercise sixty minutes every day and upon missing a day giving up in “failure.”
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make New Year’s resolutions. Rather make sticky New Year’s resolutions. Sticky resolutions are easy to make and easy to keep. Most of the Anti-Aging ABCs and the 52 baby steps are sticky as they are “belief tweaks.”
Examples include resolving:
- that no matter how old you are you will be making new friends (a great way to feel optimistic about aging).
- to always bring something with you to read in case you find yourself waiting (prevents boredom and enhances learning).
- to do your best to make someone smile or laugh each morning (post a reminder somewhere to remind you until it becomes a habit).
- to routinely take the stairs at work instead of the elevator (takes no time to help you stay fit and loses weight).
Notice these are small, easy to do steps. New Year’s is a lousy time for the usual resolutions but a great time for sticky resolutions.
QUOTES
New Year's eve is last rites for the year--celebrated with the festivities of a wake.
~Mike Brickey
HUMOR
New Year's is a harmless annual institution, of no particular use to anybody save as a scapegoat for promiscuous drunks, and friendly calls, and humbug resolutions, and we wish you to enjoy it with a looseness suited to the greatness of the occasion.
~Mark Twain
What were the earliest New Year's Eve parties like? Rather than going out to party, Adam and Eve stayed home and raised Cain.
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"Dr. Michael Brickey, The Anti-Aging Psychologist, teaches people to think, feel, look and be more youthful. He is an inspiring keynote speaker and Oprah-featured author. His works include: Defy Aging, 52 baby steps to Grow Young, and Reverse Aging (anti-aging hypnosis CDs). Visit www.NotAging.com for a free report on anti-aging secrets and a free newsletter with practical anti-aging tips."
