No, the title of this post is not a typo.
The word "REVOLUTION" has many meanings. Webster's Dictionary defines it as: "a sudden, radical, or complete change." A completely different meaning for the same word is, "the time taken by a planet to make a complete round in its orbit".
With those two definitions in mind, during our planet's yearly revolution around the sun, I'm challenging you to make a sudden, radical and complete change to make your life happier, healthier and... some other word that begins with the letter "H" that would make this sentence complete and witty.
Many of us have a history of trying to make sudden, radical and complete changes in our life, resolving to build positive habits, only to fall short of our goals again and again. We're all familiar with failed New Year's resolutions and the, "New Year. New Me!" proclamations uttered by us pathetic hopefuls. Research shows that 23% of people quit their resolution by the end of the first week, and 43% quit by the end of January.
Why is this? What makes resolutions so difficult to maintain for any length of time? I believe it's because, when vowing to change our lives for the better, we don't take the third definition of the word REVOLUTION into account.
REVOLUTION is also the term for declaring a war. I'm sure you learned in grade school how we declared one of those "revolution" things in America a few hundred years back, right? With that definition in mind, I'm going to show you why personal RESOLUTIONS so often fail while personal REVOLUTIONS are the true path to lasting success.
And, just a note to the FBI or anyone monitoring this site. I'm speaking on personal life revolutions here, not advocating for the downfall of the government. No need to knock my door down in the middle of the night or put me on a watch list.
Now, where were we...? Oh yes... The difference between RESOLUTIONS and REVOLUTIONS:
RESOLUTIONS AREN'T ALL THAT SERIOUS.
We all know we could be healthier, lose a few pounds, maybe improve our bank account, or cut down on bad habits such as smoking, fast food, sugar intake, etc. But are we truly so sick and tired of not achieving our goals that we're ready to go to war? Most likely not. A REVOLUTION takes place when you just can't take it any longer! You have to grow not only tired of the negative impact of your bad habits, but angry at missing out on the positive impact your lifestyle is causing you to miss.
Examples: wouldn't it be great to be healthy enough to go hiking in the beautiful hills and lakes in the back-countries our world has to offer? Sorry, you can't. You're overweight and lethargic. Wouldn't it be awesome to go out dancing with your friends or a beautiful partner you haven't yet met? If only you had the confidence gained from being in better shape and taking those dance lessons you're always talking about. Wouldn't it be amazing to have the money to visit a far away tropical beach or take that dream trip you've always fantasized about? You could but you're spending all your vacation money on your daily addictive habit. Wouldn't it feel wonderful to jump out of bed in the morning feeling energetic and positive? You could if you'd replace a few fast food meals for a diet that helped your body perform at peak efficiency.
If you're missing out on the only life you're ever going to get because you continue to make bad daily choices, doesn't that make you angry? If so, it's time for a personal REVOLUTION!
RESOLUTIONS ARE MADE ON THE SPUR OF THE MOMENT. REVOLUTIONS, on the other hand, are planned well in advance.
We tend to make our resolutions within a day or two of New Year's Eve. There's no planning of how we're going to achieve our goal for the long term, how we'll recover if we fail, who will support us, or what we'll replace our bad habit with. We just say something like, "I'm going to eat better this year and lose some weight." What does that mean? What foods are "better"? What bad diet habits will we cut out? When will we know we've succeeded? How will we reward ourselves along the way?
If you're going to win a war, you need to plan for a war. Who are your allies? Who, or what are your enemies? How much time is this going to take? What's the end goal? What will be the cost of this revolution? While I'm in the midst of my own war on weight, I'm taking the entire month of January to flesh out a long term plan to get the weight off and keep it off. More on that later.
RESOLUTIONS FAIL WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH - Resolutions are quickly forgotten amid hunger pangs, the sweet beckoning of addiction, the "in the moment" spending spree, the bad mood, the rotten day... Life gets in the way of resolutions. In a revolution, battles are often lost, but the war still continues. Revolutions aren't one glorious, easy path to victory. You need a plan for failure, because at some point, you will fail. It's what you choose to do after the failure that decides whether you win this revolution or not.
RESOLUTIONS OFTEN LACK A "WHY". "I'm going to quit drinking so much because I really should." That's a resolution headed for failure. When the founding fathers chose to break away from English rule, they forged a document explaining why they were taking this radical step. The Declaration of independence was the WHY of the revolution. As for your personal revolution, "I'm going to cut down on my drinking because it's not healthy. When I drink, I often waste hours and days recovering from a party. I often make bad decisions when I'm drinking such as driving while intoxicated, fighting, or going home with virtual strangers. I'm also growing a beer belly which I'd rather not have to look at in the mirror. On the positive side, I'm going to spend the money I save from not buying alcohol on my dream trip to Africa in 9 months." Now, that's a WHY that stands a good chance of seeing your revolution through.
RESOLUTIONS ARE SOMETHING YOU DO ON YOUR OWN. It's ironic that the Declaration of Independence brought so many people together. You'd think independence would mean going it alone and doing it your own way. But rather than fighting the war alone, Americans chose to band together, along with help from France, to attain their goal of a successful revolution. Resolutions often fail because it's hard to achieve anything in life completely on your own. If you're going to revolutionize your life, you'll need to recruit as much help as you possibly can. The Declaration of Independence was a public document. People knew what the intentions of the revolutionaries were and either decided to help them or get out of the way. You need to do the same. Proclaim your intentions and recruit help in achieving your goals.
RESOLUTIONS ARE OFTEN UNREALISTIC. Many times our idealistic goals are bigger than our true selves. We might believe we can lose 50 pounds in 3 months but that goal may be more than we can personally handle. The goal of the founding fathers wasn't to defeat the British in a few weeks and send them home with their tail between their legs. They wanted to win a few battles to show France they had a shot at victory so that the navy of the French would ultimately engage the British in battle knowing they were fighting a winnable war. History shows that those first few victories were not easy to come by! In the same way, you may want to start your revolution by setting smaller goals to ultimately reach your larger vision.
Lastly, YOU NEED TO BECOME A REVOLUTIONARY, NOT A RESOLUTION MAKER.
To wrap things up, you can choose to live life making yearly resolutions that will most likely disappear in a month or two, or revolutionize your life by becoming the person right now that you want to be in the future.
George W. and the boys didn't resolve to fight their war for awhile and then see how they felt about it in a week or two. They became revolutionary fighters until the end. At the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin quipped "We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately". They were in this as a "do or die" situation. There was no turning back. This wasn't a temporary resolution, this is who they chose to become.
So, how do you achieve that on a personal level? You choose, right now, to become the person you want to be in the future. No turning back. You say, I am a person who eats healthy and exercises on a consistent basis. That's who I am.
Will you do it perfectly? No. Will you fail at times? Yes! But as a person who IS NOW a healthy human, you'll get better every day. No turning back. Learning to find ways to enjoy the process of becoming better at your goal will soon add energy and joy to your journey. Enjoying THE PROCESS is key to revolutionizing your life.
Alan Watts said, "This is the real secret of life -- to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play." Amazing outlook on life!
So, there you have it. 7 ways in 7 minutes of reading to change your life for the better. What you choose to do afterword is, of course, up to you.
Viva La Revolucion!
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