Essential oils and New Years Resolutions go hand in hand.
Don’t believe me?
In nutshell, they both target our wellness, both invite us to change for the better, they both do their very best work when used in habit-creation, and your use of both can be enhanced through iTOVi!
Here is our 2022 iTOVi guide for creating New Year’s Resolutions that will be personalized to your wellness needs, yield real results for you, and incorporate your favorite oils too!
The Surprising First Step: Compassion
This may surprise you, but the first step to creating high-quality New Year’s Resolutions is compassion—self-compassion.
It is tempting at first, to take the New Year as a cue to berate oneself for all of one’s flaws—to shake one’s finger at oneself in the mirror and try to shame ourselves into getting better results in the coming year.
But that’s exhausting, and toxic, and, even more to the point, ineffective!
So, rather than approaching your New Year’s Resolutions through a cloud of shame, choose to let self-compassion guide you! This will help you choose, organize, and maintain the very best resolutions for you.
(Say it with me: Wellness is not about perfectionism! Read more here.)
Begin by rolling your shoulders back, thinking kind thoughts about yourself, and getting in tune with your real desires and self. Don’t ask what others expect of this coming year. Ask yourself what you need and want. And use those thoughts to guide you during step 2.
Step 2: Pick Your Top Wellness Categories
Your New Year’s Resolutions could relate to any one of the following categories:
- Physical Wellness
- Mental Wellness
- Emotional Wellness
- Spiritual Wellness
- Social Wellness
- Financial Wellness
- Environmental Wellness
- Occupational Wellness
- Recreational Wellness
- Or any other category that calls out to you
Try to choose only two or three categories at first to focus your New Year’s Resolutions.
And if you’re feeling truly stumped, try reviewing your past iTOVi Scans for ideas! (i.e. Find an Emotion or Body System is often filled up for you in your scan reports wheels and think: Which area of wellness would have the greatest positive impact on this Emotion/Body System?)
Step 3: Create a Vision and Let it Guide You in Writing Out Your Resolution!
As soon as you know which areas of wellness you want to focus on, you are ready to start charting out the fine details of your New Year’s Resolutions!
Don’t rush. Slowly consider 1) your vision, what it is you want to accomplish, and then 2) what plans and other measures you will put in place to make sure your vision becomes a reality.
Make sure you write down all the details. And if you want some extra help, here’s a handy template for you: iTOVi Template for New Year’s Resolutions
Step 4: Let iTOVi & Other Tools Help You Maintain Your Resolutions
Once you have the right resolutions and you have them written out, it’s time to meet the real real challenge of keeping them.
Staying organized and motivated takes effort, but as with any job, it’s easier if you have the right tools/systems!
Here are some things to try:
- Use the iTOVi Scanner to check in with yourself in difficult moments. The Scan Report will help you find the oils that can help.
- Have good reminders. (See habit bundling)
- Have a plan for exactly when and where you will complete certain actions. Write down this plan or speak it aloud.
- For stopping bad habits, use a point-and-call system or Habit Score Card to help. (See Atomic Habits by James Clear).
But What if I Fail?
Trying is just for success. Trying is for learning—including figuring out what does and doesn’t work.
Every failure can be a lesson that eventually brings success. So don’t give up!
It takes courage, resilience, and dedication to your vision to see yourself through setbacks, failures, and obstacles. But when we accept their reality and choose to use them to help us learn, we end up gaining more for ourselves than if success had come easily.
Your diligent efforts will pay off as long as you don’t give up! So go and make 2022 a year like no other!
