We’re in the homestretch of 2020. Hallelujah. I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what I want to change next year and what practices I want to keep going. People poo-poo the idea of New Year’s resolutions because “people just give up on them anyway.” I think this is faulty thinking. New Year’s resolutions are a great kick in the pants many of us need to get going.
I love the idea of New Year’s resolutions because it gets people out of their rut, even if only temporarily. The new year brings hope for a better tomorrow, hope that we can be better versions of ourselves. I just have one little twist to the standard New Year’s resolution…start today.
Most people don’t make it past the first month with their resolutions. We have just around a month to go before the new year. Why not have an unofficial pre-season to get yourself in resolution shape? Give yourself the month of December to practice your upcoming New Year’s resolution(s).
This gives you the opportunity to tweak it or discard it and pick a different one before 2021 even starts. And, if you like it, it gives you momentum coming into the new year. You’re not just starting to practice Spanish for the first time in January, you’ve already been doing it for a month. You have a month of writing more under your belt or exercising.
Instead of waiting until January 1st to realize meditating for two hours every day isn’t sustainable, give yourself this month to figure out what is sustainable. Maybe meditating every day just isn’t going to happen but meditating three times per week actually could work. Three times per week is better than zero times per week.
December is a free month where you get to try and fail and tweak and succeed guilt-free.
Spend the month of December figuring out what you want to improve about yourself and then start practicing. If you fall off the wagon, don’t give up. Figure out why you fell off, change that, and try again.
A Few Resolution Tips
Be specific. Don’t just say you want to meditate more. Make a specific plan for how long/often you want to meditate.
Start small. If you want to practice your writing every day don’t give yourself the obligation of writing an entire novel before you count your day as a success. Get in the habit of doing the resolution and worry about the intensity/duration after your habit is solidly in place.
Have daily/weekly actionable steps. Don’t just say, I want to write a novel this year. Have a plan for how much you want to write each day/week so that by sticking to your small attainable goals you’ll reach your larger goal.
Keep going when you fail. If you start the new year off strong but eventually fall off the wagon don’t be afraid to just start again. There is no 100% attendance award for going the entire year faithfully carrying out your resolution. The reward is self-improvement. Even if you stop practicing your resolution for several months it’s okay to simply start again.
If you enjoyed this article please share it with your friends and enemies
Check in With Yourself Before You Check in With the World
Staying Mentally and Physically Fit During Social Isolation
The Daily Struggle for Happiness
Did you know? Sharing this will make you happy!
I really like this idea!
Love the idea of a guilt-free trial month. Brilliant. Especially for those of us who tend to have the opposite problem of sticking with things long after we should have quit, just because we have too much pride.
Good one! ☺