Prelaunch StyleCast

December 7, 2009

Healthy Living: Don't Wait Until New Years to Make Your Resolutions

Idan Ravin

"Dear Self,

We've talked about this before, but I assure you this year will be different. No seriously, this year will really be different. Yeah, yeah, I know….I say this a lot, but I am soooo going to be good this year. I am definitely going to make changes and become "better." I will read every night before I go to bed. I will take the Spanish class I've always wanted. I will lose weight. I will use my gym membership and set my alarm for 6 am. I will stop gossiping. I will be a better friend and a better sibling. I will start my job search so I can leave this dreaded job. I will…I will…I will."

Sounds familiar, right? Each year we make the same resolutions, and each year we stay committed to these resolutions for approximately 28 hours 47 minutes and 36 seconds. I have faith in people, and so I sincerely believe we are all capable of staying motivated to keep our resolutions. They key does not lie in our motivation--rather, it lies in finding our inspiration.

Motivation and inspiration are not interchangeable.

Motivation involves how you think and then acting on what is important to you. For instance, you may be motivated to buy a new car so you work really hard to earn a bonus at the end of the year.

Inspiration, however, supplies the rocket fuel for your motivation. Without it, your motivation is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on white bread sliced diagonally (with or without the crust). With it, your motivation becomes the best damn sandwich you've ever made, eaten, shared with friends, and even had the nerve to submit the recipe for the regional Best Sandwich Cook-Off.

Inspiration keeps motivation running at a sprinter's pace, even on those days when you don't feel like you can muster up the energy. Motivation can wane, while inspiration is forever. Let me show you what I mean. You are motivated to work harder because you are inspired to give your children a better life. You are motivated to eat healthy because you are inspired to live a healthy lifestyle. You are motivated to work on your resume because you have been inspired by someone you met to live life on your terms.

So you want to stay committed to your New Year's resolutions? Here are my secrets:

Step 1: Identify your inspirations.

Step 2: Identify how your inspirations make you feel and what actions they cause.

Step 3: Identify the motivations that are germane to the inspiration (e.g. Motivated to lose weight; inspired by the realization that living healthy is necessary).

Step 4: Create an optimum environment to enable you to honor your inspirations and motivation (e.g. In bed early for early morning gym workout; a full night's rest creates an optimum environment to achieve our goals).

Step 5: Keep track of your committment and with each passing week celebrate your achievements.

Step 6: Don't wait until New Year's Eve to create and commit to your resolutions.

Step 7: Start now.

Life,

Idan

In recent articles this year, The Wall Street Journal and Sports Illustrated referred to Idan Ravin as the "Hoops Whisperer" because of his unique ability to engage, inspire and challenge the many NBA players he trains. Idan has worked with many of the NBA's elite, including Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets), Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets), Gilbert Arenas (Washington Wizards), LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers), Elton Brand (Philadelphia 76ers), Jason Richardson (Phoenix Suns) and Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies).