So…we haven’t talked in a year. The jokes, the jokes. 😉 But really tho…yo, 2017! A New Year is upon us. In last night’s #CURation (didja catch it?? If not, you can get the next one – just ), we chitchatted about this idea that so often, we wait for a 12,000 lb. crystal ball drop to give us permission to start anew. It’s like our goals and dreams are on hold until January 1…and then we go balls to the wall, full steam ahead doing #AllTheThings all at once until we inevitably burn out around Valentine’s Day. 😉 There are *so* many problems with this method – which we hit head on in – but what ends up happening isn’t good.
We become paralyzed by overwhelm.
There are so many friggin’ things on our lists of to-do’s and resolutions that it can become just so totally overwhelming and anxiety-inducing to fathom. We freak out. We thought we did okay in setting some goals, but we failed to articulate how exactly we’ll get there.
Enter a few months (heck, maybe a few weeks) after “Auld Lang Syne” and we’re back to normalcy, habit, and routine, vowing to “try again next year.”
Ugh.
It feels crappy, doesn’t it?
But it doesn’t have to be so big – this huge, daunting thing that drops down into our laps as the ball drops to the new year. Enter, this Monday Mantra:
I will step out.
The journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step. New Year’s resolutions are oh so hard and fail so often because they’re too many miles without a map – too many lofty dreams and generic goals without broken down, specific points to get there.
If you’re training for a marathon, you’d be stupid to just up and run 26 miles the day of the race. Sure, there’s that sliver of possibility that somehow you pull through and manage to finish. But more likely than not, you can’t just up and run 26 miles without training beforehand. I mean, I’d probably end up tripping over my own two feet and running down the block for a pizza instead…that is, if I didn’t collapse first. HA. 😉 In running a marathon, you’d be silly to start the race already worrying about the last mile – because you’ve got a whoooooole heckuvah lotta miles to get through before tackling the final sprint. And you’d be silly to jump right in without proper preparation, lest you fall flat on your face in pain. You’ve gotta go step by step – one at a time – with intention, action, commitment and consistency. Whether you’re just beginning training or the start of the race itself, it all starts with one step. Then another, and another, until finally, you’ve got a medal on your wall and the chance to do it all over again.
We fail the moment we want the medal without doing the work. But the work doesn’t have to be difficult – it just has to be done.
Step out.
“I will step out.”
Take the first step – or the next step.
Step out of your comfort zone. Step out of your fear, step out of your inaction, nervousness, uncertainty, and excuses.
Actively, deliberately, intentionally take that step – whichever step needs taking – and then do not stop.
Ain’t nobody got time for passive stepping. Passive stepping is literally not a thing. It is simply impossible to wait around for the new year, the next ball drop of life, expecting things to change just because the universe is moving forward. The world will keep spinning with or without you – wouldn’t you rather take charge or your life and your direction and step out and onto your own destined path of awesome?
“I will step out.”
There is nothing wrong with the old you – and there is no need for a whole “new you,” either.
There IS something wrong with thinking things will just work in your favor and success will come as you sit idly hoping and wishing for it. That just ain’t how it works.
Take the reins, hoist up your ship’s sails, sit in the driver’s seat, put both hands on the wheel, and GO. Instead of vowing to do everything under the sun all at once right now because the calendar told you to, vow to strategically step out, one step at a time. Vow to step out no matter how scary or huge it might seem. And vow to KEEP stepping out regardless of what happens, because progress is only made through action.
365 days is a lot longer and harder than 24 hours. Start small, rinse, and repeat.
What will you take a step towards this new year?
Will you step out? The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, just like Lao Tzu said. What’s your journey, and what’s your step?
I’d absolutely lovelovelove to hear your own resolutions and goals and dreams for 2017, but I’d even moreso lovelovelove to hear your steps. Drop ’em in a comment below – let’s talk progress.
