Every New Year’s Eve, millions of people around the world celebrate with the hope that next year will be better than the last. This year, an estimated 74% of the American population reports they are determined to make a lifestyle change to improve their health, personal self-improvement, financials and career (source).

Studies also show that approximately 80% of New Year’s resolutions fail for three main reasons (source):

• Consciousness needs to change to support change in behavior;
• Accountability and support are absent or lacking; and
• There is a lack of true belief in one’s self and personal ability to make change.

When it comes to supporting our members, the Virgin Pulse Live Services team is no stranger to the aforementioned. With deep expertise in health and wellness and robust training that blends the best of coaching and behavior change principles, coaches are equipped to implement specific techniques. One technique: visioning elicits the intrinsic motivation and clarity of values needed to create and sustain long-term behavior change – whether it’s a New Year’s resolution or not.

Using Coaching techniques like visioning can be imperative for achieving success. But don't just take it from us, here is what two of our Senior Coaches have to say about it:

⭐ As a coach, helping a member connect to their ultimate vision or health outcome is critical to their long term success.  Seeing themselves cross that finish line, imagining their families prepare more meals together at home, presenting that companywide speech confidently and effectively, breathing easily, smoke-free or even living debt-free; if the member cannot envision their end goal, then the reality and sustainability of their plan falls short.  This visioning strategy lives under the umbrella of motivational interviewing (MI), a technique used daily [by] Live Services [Coaches and Guides].  MI empowers the member to believe that they can change and connects their desire to change to their own intrinsic motivators.

- Kelly, Senior Coach, MPH, MS, RD, NBC-HWC

⭐ I'm the coach who invites members to retire the word "should."  As soon as a person thinks, "I should really do this" or "I should do that," they are setting themselves up for failure.  "Should" indicates external or guilt motivation - someone else's idea of health / success / happiness, etc.  There isn't enough "willpower" in anyone's tank to fuel an externally motivated goal.  You're going to run out of gas.  This is why I and my colleagues ask the questions we do during coaching appointments.  We know that when you get clarity around WHY a change or improvement matters to you, you've tapped into the energy needed to take the trip and reach your destination.

One of the most powerful ways to connect with your WHY is to use the imagination.  Visioning gives members an opportunity to engage all 5 senses to energize what their new life with the new choices or behaviors in place can feel like.  What does this new, trimmer, calmer, organized, you name it ___________ person think of their life?  What feels the best?  What is happening in a typical day?  What has changed in their environment to support being who they want to be?  Who are their allies?  How does this person who is now living intentionally regard themselves?  What does their inner self-talk sound like?

You're the only one who knows what truly makes you smile, what balance or health would feel like in your life, how you want to be remembered when you're gone.  THIS is what energizes us - living aligned with what we value the most.  No one else's ideas, YOURS.  Connecting your unique WHY to your values sets you up for success.   YOUR definition of wellbeing, happiness or success.  Visioning is a fun, inspiring way to start focusing  and putting your energy behind the YOU that you want to be!

- Patricia, Senior Coach, NBC-HWC, Certified Health & Wellness Coach

Learn more about Virgin Pulse Live Services

VP Live Coaching features a whole person approach that blends lifestyle optimization with specialization in an industry-leading 22 conditions, providing total population health management that helps the healthy stay healthy, improves clinical outcomes, and reduces costs associated with chronic conditions. Members access coaching resources directly through their app and once paired with a coach, they identify their goals for a thriving life and work together to progress toward their vision and achieve their targeted outcomes. To learn more about VP Live, reach out to your Client Success team.

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