“The secret in achieving goals is to frame them in a meaningful way.”
If you’re reading this – congratulations! You’ve made it through 2020 and into the New Year. This time of year is often and widely viewed as a time to reflect on the events of the past year, including the personal and professional goals that were set and whether or not they were met, as well as setting new goals and resolutions for the year to come. Despite this, an overwhelming majority of people who set resolutions for the New Year give up on them after only a few weeks, and less than 1 in 10 people see their resolutions and goals for the new year to an endpoint.
To learn more about why such a large portion of the population so easily throw out their resolutions so soon after the start of the new year, we sat down with Harvard MBA and Hong Kong-based hypnotherapist Christine Deschemin and asked her why resolutions are commonly left to the wayside, and how the practice of hypnotherapy and self-hypnosis can help more people stick to their resolutions and goals all year long.
Thank you, Christine, for taking the time to speak with us. There is a 2018 Forbes study that details how only 25% of people who make New Year’s resolutions keep them after January, and only 8% of people see them to completion. In your professional opinion, why do you think the statistic is so small?
Less than 1 out of 10 people achieve their goals because they apply the wrong strategy: they have too many and vague goals, they don’t have a sustainable plan and they overlook the most important resource: their mindsets. Most people make a laundry list of goals without being committed to implementing a durable plan.
New Year’s resolutions are often overwhelmingly positive goals. What is different about New Year’s resolutions that makes people give up on them more easily than their other goals?
The problem with New Year’s resolutions is twofold. People feel they have to make resolutions and the New Year’s resolutions have become an excuse for many to postpone making changes earlier. As a result, many lack the necessary drive to make these changes happen. Changes take energy and our brains want to save energy. Most people do not engage in the deep introspection exercise that they would go through at another time of the year. The secret in achieving goals is to frame them in a meaningful way: by digging deeper into the reasons for a useful behaviour or a less-than-optimal habit. That can help craft impactful goals.
A lot of people view a new year as an opportunity at a “new me”. How would you describe the difference between the sentiment of a “new me” versus that of a “new mindset”?
A lot of people focus on behavioural change. According to Statista, the top 3 goals in 2021 are exercising more, eating healthier and spending more time with family and friends. Those descriptions fit into the common concept of a ‘new me’. A better way to approach the New Year resolutions is to focus on the ‘new mindset’, the set of assumptions and beliefs we need to have about us and the world. It is only when we understand them that we can change course.
As one of the world’s leading hypnotherapists, how can hypnotherapy help foster a new mindset in order to create that “new me”?
Hypnotherapy is about helping you reframe events and situations in a different perspective. It focuses on upgrading your mindset. When the ‘new mindset’ emerges, then the ‘new me’ can show up. This tool has been used by athletes for a very long time to help them deal with pressure. It is used in hospitals in Europe for pain management. Hypnotherapy is the best way to leverage the mind-body connection to achieve greater well-being and reach peak performance.
Do you have any New Year’s resolutions for 2021? If so, what kind of steps have you made, or will have to make, in order to meet them?
I do not have any New Year’s resolutions. I keep track of my goals on a regular basis. I am consistently updating them. Setting goals and implementing them should be a way of life. How do I enhance my mindset? I use self-hypnosis. A hypnotherapist can guide you into that natural state or you can listen to a self-hypnosis audio. As you become better at recreating that natural state of focused awareness, you can then use visualization, imagery, suggestions, and other techniques to develop insights and create new habits.
You can find more information about self-hypnosis and download Ms. Deschemin’s self-hypnosis audios from upnow.com or visit her clinic’s website at renewed-edge.com.