I just read Alex Williams’ New York Times article, “New Year, New You? Nice Try.”
It’s New Year’s Day and the spirit of this article suggests that we might as well just give up any hope of achieving the resolutions we have made. Here’s the nut graf:
In a season of change, in a year of change, most people who embark on a journey of self-renewal can expect anything but. Research shows that about 80 percent of people who make resolutions on Jan. 1 fall off the wagon by Valentine’s Day, according to Marti Hope Gonzales, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota.
Such revelations will hardly come as a surprise to the repeat offenders and recidivists — that is, most of us — who year after year make, and break, the same resolutions.
The article includes brief interviews with those who have broken their resolutions over the years and cites Oprah’s weight gain as a shining example of how hard it is to sustain change.
The article offers little advice or insight regarding the reason it’s hard to make change.
Being in the business of helping people actualize change, I marvel at what goes on below the surface of our thoughts and behaviors. I have learned much about the complexity of our motivations by helping clients get in touch with the various parts of themselves in conflict.
Change takes perseverance and sometimes different approaches. When a client achieves dramatic change from a single hypnotherapy session, it seems like magic, but I have learned better. It’s more that everything lines up just right. The client is truly ready to make change, believes they can do it, and is unguarded enough to fully participate in the process. Of course, I must also choose the appropriate strategies and techniques for the individual I’m working with. It isn’t a precise science, and all of this takes a great deal of effort on both parts. It doesn’t always happen in a session or two, and, of course, at times, hypnosis may not be the best method for an individual or an individual’s specific problem.
To help us achieve change, there are many paths to choose from—hypnosis, psychotherapy, 12-step programs, support groups, retreats, self-help books…. All share a common requisite—a positive attitude. It’s a shame that for New Year’s, the New York Times article couldn’t have offered stories of success to motivate readers instead of stories of failure.
