There’s no denying it. 2022 has officially started and although we have a new year, I’m not sure there’s a new me to greet it. New Year, New Me? Nope. The old me is still firmly in place. Yet old me is more than willing to learn some new tricks along the way.
We used to believe that the adult brain matured in our mid-20s and declined from our mid-30s onwards. We now know that’s not the truth. Our brains and our bodies are capable of changing for the better into our 60s and 70s. What matters more are our beliefs and our habits.
Do we move or not move? Do we really believe that moving more would be good for us? It makes a difference!
Over our lifetimes we have added to our inherent tendency to think positively or negatively, learning from our families, peers, our cultures and societies.
The volume of the glass may be 50% occupied by water but whether we see it as half full or half empty is entirely our choice, and a choice that has profound effects on our life.
If we have always been prone to seeing the glass half empty or noting only our failures, our lack, the times we were less than perfect, we can learn to think differently, to learn new more positive habits.
The more we think any thought, the more it becomes embedded in our neurology. Literally cellular pathways in our brain develop to make thinking that thought easier, it feels more natural.
We might not be able to “delete” a negative thought but we can over-write it with a different positive thought.
What more positive new thoughts would you like to believe?
New thoughts can lead to new habits and habits develop when we are committed to change.
There is a process that allow new habits to take root, to grow and to flourish.
Maybe the best exemplar for this is Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg… at the start of lockdown one, I decided to develop the habit of moving more by doing squats while I waited for the kettle to boil… one tiny habit stacked upon an existing anchor. Easy. Old dog, new tricks. It costs nothing and adds 30+ squats to my daily activity count.
What new habits would you like to develop in 2022?
- Be more productive?
- Feel more creative?
- Be more focussed?
- Believe in yourself more?
There’s no limit to what you might want. You need to develop the beliefs and the habits to support those desires.
If you know where to start let me know, I’ll cheer you on.
If you don’t know where to start, seriously, reach out and we can have a conversation that might get you more clarity.
Today is a good day to choose more helpful beliefs, to develop more helpful habits.
Me, I’m off to make some tea (and do my squats!).
Margaret
PS If you want to make a start on overcoming Imposter Syndrome feelings and step forward with more confidence, have you seen my free, three video series “Overcoming Imposter Syndrome feelings“?
Feeling like you’re not good enough is a common source of stress, anxiety and poor job satisfaction. Start to change that today.