Once the Christmas holidays are over, we land squarely in 2025. The motivation to achieve our goals in the new year may wane and these goals may remain just good intentions. This can increase the weight of our backpack of things we didn’t achieve.
To achieve our goals, we need habits. And what is a habit? As Sara Manzaneque, integral coach and therapist of grief, attachment and parts work, defines it, a habit is an action that we repeat frequently and automatically. We all repeat many habits in our daily lives: the place where you hang your keys, turn off the lights before leaving, take off your shoes at home, brush your teeth… Everyday life is built on habits.
Brittany Mahomes shows off Thanksgiving gym routine while pregnant
So, if you want to achieve your goals, you must create an action plan that includes habits that will help you achieve those goals.
If your purpose is to have a healthy life, the habits you need to incorporate should be in line with this. You need to establish what habits you will carry out for your goal and repeat them over and over again, with motivation and without it. For this, discipline is key. One day you can allow yourself to be flexible, but remember that the achievement of the goal lies in the times you repeat these habits.
Although it is advisable for each person to find their own motivations, here are some examples of habits that some people want to incorporate at the beginning of a new year:
– Exercise regularly.
– Drink more water.
– Eat healthy.
Why 21 days to incorporate a habit?
Do not try to incorporate many habits at once. Better one by one. The 21-day rule, inspired by Asian techniques, assures that it is possible to implement a new behavior if you repeat it continuously for 21 days.
Experts in the study of human behaviour have determined that a habit is acquired or lost in 21 days. They also say that part of that habit remains in the brain, so it can be reactivated at any time, which is why consistency, discipline and willpower are great allies.
The creation of new habits involves the generation of new neural connections in the brain. The 21-day theory suggests that these occur gradually and should influence people’s subconscious. So give yourself time and repeat, repeat and repeat.
90% of success, as coach Sara Manzaneque points out, is just about sticking with it. And when you set your mind to something, remember: a goal without a deadline is just a wish. If you set a date, you already have a goal. Add a plan with intention and repeat. It will be a success.