“Doing nothing accomplishes nothing, gains nothing, changes nothing, and wins nothing. You have to make a move.”- Richelle E. Goodrich
HAPPY 2022 from Alex, Jeremiah & Gabby, aka you VREA family!!
We wish you health, happiness, prosperity, laughter, love and everything else in between that will serve you, empower you and push you forward.
Our plan this year is to bring you six (6) new shades of the magical 4-In-1 Concealer (or “sorcery” how some of you amazing friends have called it), PLUS a new skincare product that will blow you away. When you see it, it will make so much sense! And let me just say that in the consumer study that we did for it last year, the product got insane feedback for moisturization, complexion brightening, and improved skin hydration just to name a few. Furthermore, Gabby, me and Valerie our brilliant chemist who created the formula – we have been using it everyday and literally crying over how good it is. You’ll be in AWE. Join the email + text family if you haven’t already, for real time preview magic coming.
Today I wanted to share with you some exquisite tips to help accomplish your New Year Resolutions. Because we all make them, right? Just about?
Estimates say that roughly only 8% of Americans who make NY Resolutions are actually successful in achieving them.
So why are so many of us unable to achieve our resolutions? The reasons could be many: It could be that the resolutions are unrealistic to our lifestyle and therefore hard to implement and follow-through. Maybe we’ve set out goals not because WE want them, but because we “should” do them – so, by virtue of them not being genuine, the commitment is low.
They could be superficial and unspecific in nature, so it’s hard to find a starting point to commit to. Or maybe it’s because we have way too many resolutions in the first place, it gets overwhelming and follow-through decreases.
Some of the most popular global resolutions are: exercising more, losing weight, getting organized, saving money, quitting smoking and reading more.
Whatever your goals and aspirations may be, that’s only for you and you only to quantify and “judge”, but we’re here to help provide some tips and inspo to make it easier to bring them to life. Hope you will enjoy!
#1. BE SPECIFIC.
Don’t just say “I want to lose weight”. A resolution about losing weight is not specific enough, which means it won’t be that easy to monitor and accomplish. Be specific. How much? And how? For me personally, my "specifics" look like: I want to lose 6 lbs by dropping soda, rice and lowering my calorie intake to 1,400 calories per day and exercising for at least 15 minutes, 3 times per week.
You see? That goal is targeted, it’s very specific and a plan is involved.
Know this: vague goals can’t be successfully measured and they won’t yield the wanted results. Be specific with what you want and outline the steps that you think are needed to get you there.
#2. MAKE THEM REALISTIC.
Overzealous resolutions may seem inspiring, but the odds of achieving them will likely fall flat in no time.
The difficulty of achieving unrealistic goals will lead to stress and frustration and ultimately… failure.
If you’re a single working mother with 3 kids and only part-time help, yet think you’ll be able to hit the gym for an hour and a half every day… we’d like a puff of whatever you’re puffing on, because it's obviously great! You may WANT to strive for that, but a more realistic goal would be to get yourself there for at least 30 minutes twice a week. Start small and build up. If you find that it’s easy and seamless to keep to your resolution and you’ve been hitting the mark for 3 months straight, you’re ready to upgrade. Till then… don't burden yourself!
Being super specific with your goals AND making sure they’re realistic, is half the battle and we’re loving this journey for you.
#3. WRITE THEM DOWN.
Typically, folks who write down their goals are far more likely to achieve them, compared to those who don’t and only make mental vows.
Add a layer of fortitude to your resolutions, by bring them into the physical world. You can do that by creating a vision board, or sharing them with your friends and family – which is also a good way to build accountability, especially in the age of social media. So write down your specific resolutions and keep that note handy.
Now, we’d also like for you to limit your resolutions to 4. Max. And prioritize them, with #1 being the most important resolution on your list and the first one you want to tackle. To help you out, we’ve created a pdf that you can print straight from here. It’s got columns to list your resolutions by order of priority, and several rows for you to write the steps you need to accomplish them. That will be really helpful to keep things in perspective. You can see it below.
#4. OUTLINE THE BENEFITS.
Aside from being specific and setting realistic goals, another key element in your success is to identify the benefits you’ll experience once you achieve your resolutions. Sit down and think for a moment. Why do you want to exercise more? Is it to reduce the risk for heart disease? Is it because it will help improve your self-esteem and gain you more energy throughout the day? Having the resolution benefits clearly identified and figuring out why you want to accomplish them/how you’ll feel once they're achieved, will create a more vivid imprint in your mind, that will help with the willpower you’ll need throughout the process.
Now, it’s also important to constantly remind yourself of your goals and the benefits associated with them. That includes calendar alerts and post-it notes in different places of the house pertinent to the goal. These reminders will help recapture some that initial desire and intensity, which will help you pushing forward.
#5. BE PREPARED FOR OBSTACLES.
After you identify the benefits of your resolutions and how you’ll feel once you achieve them, it will be wise to identify some the obstacles that might be getting in the way, as well as start identifying a couple of options to help you overcome those obstacles. For example, on days when the weather conditions don’t make it comfortable for you to drive to the gym, have a couple of videos at home, ready to pop in and workout to. So rather than dropping the ball all together because you can’t go to the gym, you can exercise at home. You were prepared and overcame the obstacle.
Planning ahead will help insure your success. In the pdf below, you also have columns to outline the benefits for each resolution, the obstacles, and more. It’s really exciting!
#6. CHECK FOR APPS.
With the abundance of apps out there, you shouldn’t have a problem finding an app for just about any and every resolution that you have. And if there isn’t anything like what you’re looking for, maybe that’s the nudge to create your own.
The idea is that the more people and gadgets and tools and reminders you have in your corner, backing you up, the higher your chance of success will be.
#7. DEAL WITH ONLY ONE RESOLUTION AT A TIME.
This is very important because focusing on more than one in the same time can lead to “cognitive overload”, which will make it very difficult for your brain to properly handle all the moving elements. Focusing your attention entirely on one task will have a much greater chance of success, as opposed to shifting focus from one resolution to another and going all over the place.
My suggestion to you, is to start with one resolution until you achieve a benchmark you’re satisfied with. In other words, when the steps you’re taking to achieve that first resolution on your list have become so habitual that no interruptions will appear as a result of a shift in focus, then and only then, should you add a second resolution into the mix. As you’re continuing #1, you’re now tackling #2 as well. When #1 and #2 are on auto-pilot, you bring in #3 and so forth, going down the list but doing it strategically and methodically, and giving yourself a fighting chance to succeed.
#8. BE MINDFUL OF WHAT YOUR BRAIN CAN HANDLE.
Let me explain:
In order for us to materialize our resolutions we need willpower, right? Now – the brain cells operating the “willpower” are located in the pre-frontal cortex, which is the area right behind your forehead. That area of the brain is also responsible for our short-term memory, staying focused and solving abstract tasks.
This pre-frontal cortex is like a muscle. And like any muscle in your body, in order to handle the demand you want placed on it, it has to be trained. And if you haven’t been practicing consistent goal-keeping via willpower throughout the year, come January 1 you’re essentially asking this muscle to lift 300 pound weights without any previous training. You don't need me to point out that that’s not good.
Strong willpower is not necessarily a character trait. It’s only through constant exercise that we strengthen it. So don’t feel singled out. Like with anything, that muscle just needs conditioning in order to succed.
So how do we succeed? We start by taking baby steps. Small habits turn into successful long-term resolutions. That means breaking down each goal as much as you can, all the way down to the easiest and most simple tasks.
So if you haven’t been to the gym in a while but your resolution is to go 5 times a week, don’t start by going 5 times a week because you’ll fatigue and get over it in a hot second. Why do you think the gym is packed the first 2 weeks in January and then.... not!? So instead of going 5 times off the bat, start by going twice a week. Consistently. Do that for 3 months until it becomes a habit, then increase to 3 times a week. Do that for another month, then go to 4 times a week and so forth. You’re building strength and resistance, not killing yourself and getting worn-out. And that will help you not only reach, but keep your resolution.
If you want to have $5,000 in savings by the end of the year, figure out how to put away $97 per week. That could mean meal-prepping and/or cutting things out that are not vital to your health and wellbeing, and placing that amount in the savings account instead.
Whatever your goals may be, it’s all about those baby steps. Take the big picture and break it down into small polaroids. Just remember to identify these small steps before starting out.
#9. USE CHECKLISTS TO TRACK YOUR PROGRESS.
As you take on one small step at a time, check it off your list of planned steps. The physical act of crossing something off and the visual image of seeing yourself doing all the to-do’s off your list, will create stimuli to help you nurture the willpower we talked about. Don’t forget to print out the checklist I did for you, it’s at the bottom of this post.
#10. HOLD YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE.
As life gets in the way and you’re tired, stressed, preoccupied and busy with everything else you have going on in life, it will be easy to let some things slide.
Consistency his key in changing mindsets and building new habits and without it, might as well throw out the window everything you’ve done so far. Even when it’s hard, you have to get up and do it. Maybe that’s when it will be good to keep that list of benefits handy... To remind you of the WHY you’re on a mission, why you want to keep to your resolutions, and how you will feel once you achieve them. Hold yourself accountable! You can start by having a calendar reminder pop up on your phone on a weekly basis, asking you to update your progress tracking list.
#11. REWARED YOURSELF AS YOU MAKE PROGRESS.
Rewarding yourself with things that make you feel good, will help increase your success rate. Think... buying yourself a little something-something that’s within your budget, a nice bubble bath or movie night. This will help encourage you and insure that you’re not depriving yourself too much in any aspect. Just make sure that the rewards won’t work against your goals if that makes sense.
#12. KNOW THAT YOU MAY SCREW UP, BUT YOU HAVE TO KEEP AT IT.
No matter how many obstacles you could have foreseen and planned for, there will be times when you’ll fall off the wagon. The key is to (A) not stress yourself over it – it happens to every person on the planet, and (B) you have to immediately get back on track, and not create any more delays.
Obsessing over a slip up won’t help you achieve your goals. So don’t beat yourself up and just do your best. So today sucked. So what?! One bad day won’t overturn a week of good doing. Just go out of your way to make sure it won’t happen again for a while, that’s all.
#13. ENJOY THE RIDE!
When you’re stressed or overwhelmed, you’re more likely to miss the mark and get derailed from your goals, so stress-management is actually very important in the process of keeping your resolutions. Try breathing exercises, yoga, meditation, walking funny videos or listening to music that makes you feel good – whatever works for you. Every day, try to do something that puts you in a good mood. That will also be very important to your ultimate success.
#14. ASSESSMENT TIME.
If you’ve been proactively working on your resolution for a couple of months but don’t see any results, the solution is not to give up, but to reassess the goal, then the plan, and if need be, make modifications. It’s perfectly ok to do that. Maybe the resolution was unrealistic to begin with, and there was no way for you to know that until you were in the middle of the fire. Resolutions are about becoming better versions of ourselves, not some unrealistic “perfect” image. So keep a pulse on your progress and increase or decrease the heat according to your results.
#15. HAVE SOME ORANGE JUICE.
If your resolution involves self-restraint, like – not eating that fast food, not smoking that cigarette, not doing that shopping… well, all that restraint could reduce your blood glucose to levels that are less-than-optimal. So a glass of fresh orange juice (if OK with your body health) as simple as it sounds, contains natural sugar that will cause blood sugar levels to rise. The brain relies almost exclusively on glucose for energy, so it’s very important to always replenish those needs.
Hope this brought a lot of value and inspiration into your life and I’ll leave you with… BEST OF LUCK and wishes for LOTS OF SUCCESS in the 2022 and beyond. We love you here!
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PDF