What is a WHY?
A "why" is your own internal motivation for pursuing a specific behavior or course of action. A good why comes from INSIDE, and happens when you create space to be self-aware and introspective. A good why is NOT going to come from external sources. It’s not the thing you think you SHOULD be doing, it’s the thing that you WANT to do based on your own goals and what you believe will serve you and bring you the most happiness.
Having a why is critical with any habit change, especially a challenging commitment like a month long detox program. A solid why provides stability and direction, especially when things get chaotic or stressful. Think of it like your north star, your compass, guiding your behaviors and decisions over the course of your 4 week program.
Without a personal why, it would be easy to get overwhelmed or feel indecisive. You may be tempted to give in to peer pressure, cut your efforts short when the going gets tough, or latch onto someone else’s priorities or recommendations.
To start the process of finding your why, ask yourself two questions, and then complete the following exercises:
What would give you a sense of satisfaction or fulfilment at the end of your Spring 2021 Reset?
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What problem or challenge right now is emotionally motivating you to join the Spring 2021 Reset?
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Exercise 1 Make a list of all the benefits that will come as a result of this effort. Really get into this—visualize the benefits, be open with what you believe can happen, and allow yourself to tap into your emotional side. The more closely connected you are to your why, the stronger it will ground you during the next month.
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Now pick the top 3-5 benefits that excite you the most, and take each of those a step deeper, asking yourself, "so what?" What do each of these benefits MEAN for your health, happiness, quality of life?
Example: Benefit #1: I want more energy.
Question: So what?
Answer Why is this important: More time with your kids, the motivation to work out, feeling more productive during your day etc
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Once you are down to this level, circle 1-3 that hit you the hardest, and will have the most impact in your life. These are your whys. Choose just a few that are the most important to you in this moment and will resonate the strongest emotionally when you need to return to them.
BONUS: Write your why statements down on post-it notes, and stick them in strategic places around the house, like your bathroom mirror, nightstand, and refrigerator.
Exercise 2
We’re all joining the Spring 2021 Reset for different reasons, but I guarantee all of us have something in our life that isn’t going so well, and we think this Reset will help. Identifying these is another helpful way to help us stick to our commitment. It’s another form of why from a different angle.
Spend some time before we start on October 26th to write down the challenges you are experiencing right now—the things that motivated you to begin the program in the first place (and yes, there may be some new ones that didn’t exist 2 months ago).
- “I can’t stop raiding the pantry, I’m overeating and I feel out of control."
- “My allergies are driving me crazy and my medications are not helping."
- “I’m sleeping like crap, I have no energy, and because of that, I feel unmotivated to spend time with my kids or do housework."
- “My skin is a mess and nothing seems to be helping.”
- “My anxiety is out of control and I can’t seem to relax.”
Write down all the tough stuff, how it makes you feel, and the emotions it brings up. Be brutally honest, no one will read this but you.
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The reason this exercise is important is because of the way our brains work, and the logical fibs it tends to make us believe. Specifically, the ones that say because we took one small step towards doing the work, everything is all of a sudden better. Our brains like to rewrite history, remembering the fun parts and blocking out the challenges, especially when it comes to rewarding behaviors like sugar or wine consumption.
There will come a day during the Reset when you’ll think, "I feel better, and this is kind of hard. I can probably stop now. I didn’t feel THAT bad before, and I feel even better now, so I think I can quit early."
When this happens, immediately return to your positive post-it "whys" and revisit this overview. Think about the benefits you still have to gain, how much better you will feel physically and emotionally when you keep that promise to yourself, and see if that is enough to keep you on track.
If it’s not—if that just isn’t persuasive enough in this moment, look back on your pre-Reset notes, and remind yourself where you were just a few short days or weeks ago. Let yourself revisit that unhappy place and those stressful feelings—the day you knew you had to make a change.
These exercises are simple, and yet very effective in helping you stick to the program.
Goals for YOUR Spring 2021 Reset
What is a goal?
Technically a goal is the object of a person's ambition or effort; an aim or desired result.
I want you to think about 3 Personal goals for this Reset Program. Reflect back on your ‘WHYS’ and where you are now and where you want to be at the end of this program.
Remember some of the basics of SMART goal setting:
Specific: 8 hours of sleep a night vs. more sleep
Measurable: I want to be able to walk 5km daily vs. I want to walk more often
Attainable: I will lose 5lbs in the next month vs. I will lose 20lbs in the next month
Realistic: I am going to eat whole foods vs. I am going to eat 100% organic
Timely: In the next 4 weeks vs. sometime this year
Personal Goals
Write down 3 goals that you will be able to look back on and feel a sense of accomplishment upon completion of the Reset Program.
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