Turning Over a New Leaf in 2023

By Erin Del Toro, Registered Clinical Hypnotherapist, ACHE

The opportunity for renewal that a fresh year brings has happily arrived again. Now that we are basking in that New Year bliss, it’s time for some self-reflection. When it comes to last year’s resolutions, how did you do? Did you fall short of goals you thought you would be committed to reaching? Are there habits you thought would be behind you that are still out in front?

Evolving as individuals is important, but don’t feel too badly if you’ve missed the resolution mark. It’s easy to get excited about new commitments, jumping in with both feet, only to lose momentum as the days and weeks move on.

Each January, my family jokes about staying away from the gym for a couple of weeks to avoid the New Year’s crowds. It’s so packed in the facility that we find it a challenge to use certain equipment as hopefuls apply their new commitments to becoming physically fit. We might joke, but sadly, every year without fail, three weeks into the new year, the gym is back down to pre-January levels again: great for steady gym goers who want to access the equipment; bad for those who were truly looking to begin a long-term fitness plan.

So, how do you permanently turn over a new leaf? The origin of the phrase “turning over a new leaf” dates back to the 1600s and has nothing to do with trees or horticulture. Instead, it refers to turning over a new page of a book while writing, revealing a fresh page ready for new content. As the calendar “turns over” from 2022 to 2023, you have a chance to put the old part of your life’s book behind you and truly start anew. I love to help people create this change with hypnotherapy because it has the ability to accelerate results, but the process is basically the same no matter which modality you use. As you begin to create content for your new book, you need to be prepared with three things in order to successfully and permanently stick with your resolution:

1. A clearly defined goal with a deadline.

2. Enthusiasm for the goal and for the process of changing.

3. A belief in yourself.

Clearly outline your goals and apply deadlines.

Define what the new leaf in your book looks like, then break the goal down into manageable steps and line up goal dates that correspond to each. It may seem obvious to say that you need to clearly outline your goal, but from the standpoint of the subconscious mind, telling yourself that your goal is to “lose weight” won’t yield optimal results; even losing half a pound achieves your stated objective. If you truly feel you need to lose weight, half a pound probably isn’t going to cut it. Being clear with yourself and your subconscious mind by saying that your goal is to “lose thirty pounds by July 30” is a more foolproof way to ensure that your subconscious mind will work harder to observe your goal.

Once the goal is clearly set, break it down into smaller, achievable goals. For instance, if your goal is to lose thirty pounds, you could say, “I will lose ten pounds by February 14, another ten pounds by May 1, and the last ten pounds by July 30. Making the steps small and simple can help to ensure you don’t feel overwhelmed.

Be actively excited about your goal and the process of reaching it.

It is easy to feel motivated when you are standing at the base of a large mountain and contemplating your hike to the top. It is an entirely different story to feel the same motivation when you’re a mile and a half up with five miles still to go, out of breath with legs burning. It would be so easy to let your tired muscles rest or to head back down the trail to the comfort of the car, especially if you’re new to hiking. This is the way you might feel as you endeavor to write your new story. As you begin the ascent up the mountain of your goal, you might find yourself out of breath after the first mile and even more exhausted after the second. Our neural pathways are programmed a certain way from habit and exposure, so even the cells of our bodies store memory and need to be regenerated. We have to work until the new path feels comfortable and push through the desire to quit early on.

To thwart the February relapse blues, you need a clear “why.” Why do you want to reach that goal? Do you want to lose weight because your spouse is hounding you or because you envision yourself at your peak form and sense how empowering that would be? I can guarantee you that when you make the goal your own—when you own it and attach powerfully positive feelings to it—you will have greater success at a faster rate. Whether your resolution is to have an ideal dollar amount in your savings account, to fit into smaller clothes, or be able to play a full concerto on the piano, keeping yourself actively excited about both the end goal and the process of getting there will strengthen your likelihood for success, so your “why” must be personal and motivating.

Anyone in the business of helping the mind make changes knows that being excited, positive, and anticipatory are the key emotions to activating stick-to-itiveness. Try using a vision board to help yourself remain positive or use meditation and prayer. You may even consider hypnotherapy, the modality I use to help clients access the excitement and passion that is already inside them. Believe that this new path is achievable, and believe in yourself. Once you’ve got the why and the active excitement locked in, it’s important to feel deep down in your soul that you can achieve your goal. If this is a totally new path for you, it’s common to feel unsure of your ability to conquer. I recommend combining mindfulness practices, like meditation and hypnotherapy (there are many guided meditation and hypnosis recordings in online video platforms) and using positive affirmations to help you retrain your mind to accept that you will succeed at your new endeavor.

I wish you the best of success as you move forward with all of your new hopes and dreams in 2023, from January through December. If you would like to learn more about hypnotherapy and how it might help you achieve change, please visit balancedmodernhypnotherapy.com.

About the Author

Erin Del Toro

Erin Del Toro is an ACHE Registered Clinical Hypnotherapist and owner of Balanced Modern Hypnotherapy. She’s passionate about changing the effects of trauma, rewriting unwanted habits and behaviors, and helping others unlock the power of their true potential. Erin lives in St. George with her twin daughters and enjoys participating in the ninja warrior sport and playing in the beautiful outdoors of southern Utah.