Here we are in February, after a January that was approximately 18 months long. How we doing on those Resolutions??? (Here are 7 ~keepable~ goals to add to your list, for a truly happier year!). Word on the statistics street is that 80% of folks fail at New Year Resolutions by the end of January, and most others give it up come mid-February.
Dude.
Those are some friggin’ depressing statistics!
Are you part of the 80%? Or are you part of the 20% still going strong? (I’m about half and half on my own list!) Everyone vows “New year, new me!” and tries to change their whole entire life overnight (literally). That is SO. MUCH. PRESSURE to make so much happen, when psychologically, that’s just not a setup for success! Science says it takes 30 days to form a new habit – so how on God’s green earth can you expect to totally overturn not just one, but every single bad habit in your life from December 31st to January 1st? From working out to drinking water to saving money to reading more, it’s like wham bam alakazam – new life alert! I mean, PROPS girlfriend…it’s ambitious AF.
But it’s also discouraging AF if/when you slip up, which I think is to blame for that alarmingly high failure rate come January 31st.
Beyond that, why wait until the new year to finally make those very important strides towards our best self? We know we should, we think we could…so why would we wait until a shiny ball drops in a crowded square to start doing the things we should/could/would be doing already, if only we CHOSE to do so?
I’ve always had beef with the whole “New Year New Me” mantra.
So I made a new one. 😉 Enter:
Today is a new day.
Today is a new day.
You have just as much power to do something different today as you did at midnight 35 days ago. How amped up were you at the end of December to write a list and check it twice, of dreams and plans and goals and changes for the “best year ever”?
You were pretty darn amped.
You were ready. You were hopeful. You were committed.
And then, life happened. And for whatever reason, you fell off the wagon. Maybe you just stumbled a little, almost fell, but are still on it. Or maybe, you fell off so hard, you’ve got emotional bruises from the fall. Either way – it’s OK.
No, it’s not OK to quit – to give up on yourself.
But it IS OK to admit temporary defeat, and get back on the saddle stronger, smarter, better. To acknowledge a mistake or a flub up, choose a new direction, and head there with commitment.
Today. Right now.
Because a new you doesn’t have to wait for a new year – a new you can begin today. New day, new me.
It might feel easy to strive for more gym time or less potato chips to kickoff the new year strong on paper, if those aren’t particularly scary or even truly challenging goals for ya. Or, if they’re not the most meaningful. You jot ’em down, you make it a few weeks, and then you aren’t TOO mad if/when you slip into old habits. But when you can’t commit to the “easy” goals on your list, how the heck are you supposed to stick with harder, longer, bigger, better goals?
Making a champagne-fueled commitment at midnight for the next 365 days is a tall order, girlfriend. Because the second the sparkles disappear, we’re faced with the sameness and the habits that kept us feeling a certain way doing certain things for the LAST 365 days.
Wanna up that success rate? To get out of the 80% and into the top 20?
Forget the year.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” It’s one of my favorite quotes. And it’s important here. Because you know what a year is made up of?
Days. 365 of ’em. New day, new me. And the journey of 365 days begins with just one.
Wake up every single day with a new resolve to hit the treadmill, read your Bible, put down the Diet Coke, learn to speak Spanish. When you can look ahead and actually see the finish line, you’re more likely to sprint to make it happen. It feels reachable and doable. Because it is.
While it’s still reachable and doable with a zoomed-out lense, it’s not in your immediate view, so motivation may falter. You might get comfy in your pace, slow down, or stop altogether. It’s like running a marathon versus running a 100m sprint. You might not even get your butt off the couch to begin training for a marathon if it feels just so totally overwhelming. But running 100m? 1/4 of a track? You can totally do that. And then, you can do it again. And again. And eventually, you realize you can run and you can keep running until you work up to the big kahuna.
A year is just 365 days. Who’s to say it has to start on January 1st?
Your year starts now, with this day. New day, new me. Make it happen, and make it count.
New day, new me – new day, new you! What will you make happen today?
May your coffee be tall and your Monday be short. 😉
P.S. For more Monday Mantras, click here.