Subconcious Reasons Your Resolutions Failed

Happy New Year!

Well, no. Unless you are following the fiscal calendars as some organizations and corporations do.
But it is now a little over six months since the new year began which means – unless I got my math wrong, which is always a possibility – the year is half over. O, my gosh! Where did the time go?

If time got away from you, maybe a few other things did, too. Like New Years’ Resolutions. Maybe now would be a good time to check in with all those good intentions you had back in January and see how they’re coming along.

The first question is, of course, do you even remember your New Years’ Resolutions? What was it about your life that, in the fog of post-New Years’ Eve celebrations, you thought needing changing?

Once you’ve identified your Resolutions, take their pulse, do a little triage. Are they still alive and kicking? Do they need to be put on life-support? Or do they need a decent burial?

If your Resolutions are still going strong, great! Give yourself a pat on the back. If they are moribund, don’t beat yourself up. Consider whether you want a DNR (Do Not Resolve) to go into effect, whether you want to pursue your Resolutions with a new transfusion of hope and determination, or whether you simply want to move on to a hopefully more rewarding and meaningful relationship with a completely new set of Resolutions.

If you opt for the latter – or even the latter two – be aware that it is no easier to keep Resolutions in June than it is in January. You will still be faced with opposition from your own subconscious.

Your subconscious mind, responsible for about 90% of your mental activity, is absolutely necessary. Your conscious mind, responsible for the other 10%, is, well, something of a wimp. It is your conscious mind which makes resolutions. It looks around, evaluates and analyzes your situation and decides that things might be better if you….

But your conscious mind has very little memory – and most of that is short term. In fact, your conscious mind might forget to tell you to breathe if it weren’t for the subconscious mind which allows you to breathe automatically. So it is awfully easy for your conscious mind to simply forget any resolutions it might have made.

And even if it does remember – say you wrote them down, you posted them on your bathroom mirror, or you gave them to someone else to mail to you in six months as a reminder – even if your conscious mind remembers your resolutions, it faces a formidable foe in actually putting those resolutions into action.

That powerful foe is, of course, the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind has the memory of the proverbial elephant. It never forgets anything. You can think of your subconscious mind as the attic of your mind. Everything is stored there. It may be chaotic, it may seem inaccessible, it may have been long forgotten by your conscious mind, but it is still there in your subconscious mind.

So your subconscious mind is always ready to do battle with your conscious intentions and it has plenty of ammunition. The battle-cry of the subconscious mind is “But, we’ve always done it this way!”

Did you resolve to lose weight, maybe cut out carbs and/or get more exercise? Good for you! But your subconscious mind is back there saying, “Oh, but you’ve always loved chocolate cake. And one more slice won’t hurt anything. You’ve always been able to eat whatever you wanted. Why torture yourself with a diet. You deserve to be happy. Have another piece of cake.”

Did you resolve to spend more quality time with your family? Great! But your subconscious mind will remind you that you’ve had a hard day at the office, you’re tired, your son’s music gives you a headache, your daughter’s new boyfriend has the mental capacity of an amoeba – and about as many prospects for a bright and successful future as that same amoeba – , that your wife’s conversation tends to be a re-cap of the latest episode of Oprah (You don’t even want to think about what she will find to talk about now that Oprah is off the air.), and that the big football/basketball/hockey/baseball game/golf/tennis/beach volleyball tournament/Nascar/Formula One/stock car/pinewood derby race/boxing/wrestling/mud wrestling match or 24 rerun is on TV tonight.

Your poor, wimpy conscious mind doesn’t have a chance. And neither do your resolutions. Unless….