According to the University of Scranton, Journal of Clinical Psychology, only 8% of people actually successfully achieved their New Year’s resolutions goals! According to the study, the No. 1 resolution on the list is, you guessed it, weight loss.

Do you have a weight loss goal? There is a pretty high probability either you, or someone you are very close to, has a “goal” weight or size. Even if you don’t, I want you to keep reading with me because this advice applies to every addiction or bad habit you might be trying to eliminate from your life.

The reality is, if you keep doing what you’ve always done, you will get the same result you’ve always had. You and I live in a culture of excess, and if you keep living in excess, you will keep having to go up a notch on your belt, friend. And after so many years – if not decades – of bad programming, it is going to take more than a resolution or an overnight decision to deprogram that lifestyle.

What I want you to understand is that your cravings and habits are like a muscle. When you feed your food cravings, shopping addiction, porn addiction or any other craving, you’re flexing that muscle. The more you feed and exercise that muscle, the stronger those cravings will be. You may even have decades of working out that craving muscle under your belt.

In the same way, self-control is a muscle. If you flex and work on that muscle, it will grow stronger and your cravings will grow weaker.

So here’s something to think about. Identify your food habit, or whatever else you are trying to cut back on. Track how often you eat out, grab a snack, make a Starbucks run or have a midnight dessert. Instead of trying to cut that out 100% overnight, try to cut out just one of those indulgences.

In other words, just cut out those midnight trips to the freezer. After a week or two of working on that, try to cut out the daily Starbucks run next. Just work on cutting back your food or calorie intake by 5% or 10% at a time.

When you try to go cold turkey, you set yourself up for failure. That decade of poor eating habits is not going to change overnight. Those cravings are at their peak, the strongest they have ever been. And when you almost inevitably fail, you feel helpless or like it will never work.

Reaching your personal goals is about two major things:

1. Knowing yourself: Know your body, your habits and your spending habits. When you know your greatest weaknesses and strengths, you can help steer yourself away from those sore spots!
2. Giving yourself grace: You will fail! Just work on getting a little better slowly and flexing that self-control muscle.

I hope this quick message encouraged you today. When you are working on a weakness or trying to improve a habit, it takes time, support and accountability. If you aren’t willing to be held accountable, you don’t really want to change.

Hit me up on social media and leave your thoughts about the healthy habits you’re working on. And don’t forget to share this strategy with your friends and family. If you’re looking for support or accountability, be sure to talk it out with our amazing social media community!

In great faith,

P.S. Like what you read here? Just hit any of the social media buttons below! That will help your friends and followers find this message!