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new year resolution

The ABCs of Behavior Change (TM) – for habits that stick

 

Let me state for the record that though there is a huge focus on making resolutions, I think the new year is one of the toughest times to adopt a new behavior. Many of us have just come through holidays when schedules were thrown to the wind, indulgences beckoned at every turn, and in the northern hemisphere, the days were dark and cold. There is less energy and momentum for the kinds of changes that people generally like to make which are most often about health and self-improvement.1 On top of that, we just have just come through 2020, the year which seemed to laugh in the face of goal setting.

That said, a recent survey reveals 74% of adult Americans are starting the year off with a resolution (up 15% from the year prior), and a full 55% think they will follow through.2 While 77% of people can make the desired change for a week, research shows only 19% of people can hold onto their changes for two years.3 Not surprisingly, both the percentage of people who make resolutions and the conviction in upholding them both decline with age.4

There are excellent books on the topic of making a habit stick, such as Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit which analyzes the process of habit, and more recently, James Clear’s Atomic Habits, with steps for each part of the habit loop. To summarize, you need a trigger that is obvious, a desire to engage in the act, a low barrier to action, and gratification upon completion.

Through coaching hundreds of people wanting to be either more organized or more productive, I noticed challenges in a slightly different way and offer a model to help, The ABCs of Behavior Change™. It offers five progressive steps to bring more commitment to the change you want to make and set you up for success.

Before getting into the techniques of implementing a specific change we must connect deeply with why it matters. If that connection to reason is missing, you might get started on a change due to some external motivation, and this may be enough for some people who fall into Gretchen Rubin’s tendencies driven by others’ expectations (read Gretchen’s book The Four Tendencies for more on this), but it may not enough to make it stick for the long term. Let’s dive in!

 

The ABCs of Behavior Change

A – Acknowledge

Acknowledge and accept the advantage the change will bring you. If you are still doubting, dig deeper to understand how the action will really help you. Do you truly buy into the benefit? What other questions need answering?

 

B – Believe

Believe that you are worth it. Making a change might mean putting yourself first and setting boundaries. For some, this is very uncomfortable. Are you ready to dance in discomfort? Can you give yourself permission to take action?

 

C – Cultivate

Cultivate an environment that encourages and supports you in making the change. This includes your physical environment and the people around you. Do you feel supported? Will you ask for what you need?

 

D – Defend

Defend, with grace, the boundaries you rely on to follow through on the change. Play with and practice respectful language to help others understand your priorities. Become more and more comfortable saying no. How will you play a graceful defense?

 

E – Engage

Engage deeply in the moment you complete the action. Note how you feel physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Let the positive feelings you discover be your intrinsic motivation inspire you to take action again. Will you stop and tune in?

 

Move through each of these steps to build a happy habit – one that you look forward to completing. If for some reason you break the chain, engage in this bonus step.

F – Forgive

Forgive yourself for not sticking to the change you wanted to make, but don’t stop there. Figure out which one of the first five steps wasn’t setting you up for success. Go back to that step, re-examine it, reconnect with it or adjust and move forward.

 

SOURCES

  1. Top New Year resolutions

The data is based on an online survey of 1,790 US adults born between 1928 to 2002 commissioned by Finder and conducted by Pureprofile in September 2020. Participants were paid volunteers.

New Year’s resolution statistics

  1. Percent making resolutions

https://www.finder.com/new-years-resolution-statistics

 

  1. New Year resolution failure rate

Norcross, J C, and D J Vangarelli. “The resolution solution: longitudinal examination of New Year’s change attempts.” Journal of substance abuse vol. 1,2 (1988): 127-34. doi:10.1016/s0899-3289(88)80016-6

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2980864/

 

 

  1. New Year Resolutions and Conviction by Generation

New Year’s resolution statistics

 

If you’re looking for support in making a change, I offer private and group coaching for individuals and leaders.  I invite you to book a call with me to explore.

Filed Under: Alignment, Awareness, Compass, Intention, Productivity, Rituals, Skills, Systematize Tagged With: behavior change, behaviour change, habit, new year resolution, ritual

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Productivity catalyst, highly sensitive executive coach, and speaker, Clare Kumar cultivates sustainable performance in busy professionals so they can keep making rich contributions in all areas of life and achieve greater fulfillment.

She inspires leaders, professionals, employees and entrepreneurs to respect humanity and boost performance through marrying productivity and pleasure. After all, why shouldn’t you have fun while getting things done?

 

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Sally recommends:

🧠intentionally crafting connection by building experiences, especially out of the office.

📅choosing a cadence depending on the growth stage of the team or project. quarterly is often ideal.

🎯 focusing on one key thing during the offsite. connection itself can be the goal.

🌳getting out into nature. many studies reveal the benefits and a change of scenery is more memorable.

what are you noticing about building connection at work?

🔗to podcast in bio

#connection #teambuilding #leadership #startup #worktripp #HSP #HappySpacePodcast #happyspacepod #coach
"stay away from the extroverts" said, Tom Peters w "stay away from the extroverts" said, Tom Peters
wait, what? this extrovert had a moment in our podcast interview.

read on to find out what happened in our conversation and why now, Tom says, “look for the quiet and sensitive”!

when I read "Tom Peters' Compact Guide to Excellence", my jaw dropped when he proclaimed that Susan Cain's book "Quiet" is the best business book of this century. the book opened Tom's eyes to the value of quiet, introverted people which had been completely missing from his and many organization's thinking.

in our conversation, when Tom suggested we "stay away from extroverts", being extroverted myself, i was compelled to lobby for sensitive extroverts and offer a counter-thought:

what if it isn't introversion and "quiet" that we need to value?

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what if it is sensitivity?

highly sensitive people are superb noticers, process information more deeply, and are adept at synthesizing information. they also innately bring the much-needed empathy required in today’s challenging work world. the 30% of sensitive people who are extroverts (6% of the general population) are a special asset to any organization.

that said, HSPs also need more time to rest and recover during the work day. without that, we are at risk of burning out.

Tom reflects, "I said to somebody, I'm so sensitive to what's going on that I'm always overloading."

Tom immediately revised his "linguistic expression" to say, "look for the quiet and sensitive". I guess I ought to still work on being a bit quieter. ☺

have a listen as Tom and I explore what he calls “extreme humanism”. if we can create work experiences that respect humanity, imagine what we can accomplish.

we can definitely use more Tom Peters-like people in the world.

i'd love to hear what you think. please comment below or on your fave podcast platform.

🔗 link in bio

#hsp #hspcoach #clarekumar #highlysensitiveperson #inclusivity #empathy #sensitivity #leadership #extremehumanism #humanity #productivity
Instagram post 18351377770059912 Instagram post 18351377770059912
Tom Peters is intellectually irritated! he has bee Tom Peters is intellectually irritated! he has been fighting for extreme humanism for 45 years. 

“the message is clear. the message is simple. the message is powerful..."

future of work champions - what can we do to help Tom out? 
comment below!

🔗 in bio for full episode

#futureofwork #humanism #insearchofexcellence
Tom Peters has been revered in the world of busine Tom Peters has been revered in the world of business management ever since releasing the 1982 book In Search of Excellence with co-author Robert Waterman. selling shy of 5 million copies, it is recognized as one of the most influential management works.

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🔗 to podcast🎙 in bio

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if you want a 4-day week or are curious about impl if you want a 4-day week or are curious about implementing one, you’ll want to join Joe O’Connor an i as we unpack the in-demand 4-day week. 

Mon Mar 13 - noon - 1 pm EDT

the largest trial of the concept wrapped up recently in the UK and Joe was intimately involved. get the inside scoop and your questions answered. 

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register via HappySpaceHotTopics.com

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ooh, it was refreshing to feel spring in the air a ooh, it was refreshing to feel spring in the air at the
@homedepotcanada spring showcase.

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“the number one thing you do if you want to impr “the number one thing you do if you want to improve performance is promote more women,” says Tom.

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this clip is from the upcoming episode of the Happy Space Podcast, "Still in Search of Excellence" with Tom Peters, dropping march 13th, 2023.

join Tom and me as we explore leadership as influenced by the pandemic, tensions between leaders and the workforce, and how to manage by Zooming around. we also find out why is Tom Peters "intellectually irritated"?

tune in on march 13th on your podcast player of choice, Youtube or www.clarekumar/podcast.

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#ALLin #inclusivity #women #leadership
a few hours drive east along the lake and happy to a few hours drive east along the lake and happy to be meeting my clients in Kingston. 

you’ll hear me talking a lot about remote work but sometimes it really is worth travelling to be in person. 

i encourage leaders to be intentional about why they bring people together in person. mix task and team, content and connection, function and fun and there is a greater chance employees will want to participate. 

#acknowledgetheask and make it worthwhile to show up. 

budget for the travel time, energy and expense required. recognize you’re making a withdrawal on personal time. 

design for well-being and performance will flow…
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