The first week of the year is already behind us and I’m still feeling incredibly optimistic and happy about what’s ahead. There’s nothing better then a fresh start. And that’s just what January is all about. A time to have a clean slate, to start over, to reset the status quo.
I’ll be honest, I’m not one for new year’s resolutions, per say. When the year is coming to a close, like many others, I look back at the year I’ve just had. What was the biggest lesson that came out of it? What’s the biggest thing that I want to be different for the year ahead? In years past, my “resolution” has been: “Only do what makes you happy”. This came from my previous tendency to say yes to things I didn’t want to do just because I felt like I had to or because other people thought I needed to. Don’t get me wrong, there are things that we all have to do that we don’t like, where we just have to suck it up and do it but I was saying yes to unnecessary things. For example, going out on the town with my friends because they wanted to rather then staying home and recharging like I knew I needed to do. Sometimes I need to push myself to do out of my comfort zone but I need to balance that with what’s going to benefit me more. I used this resolution by giving my “best yes” so I could be the best me for the greatest number of things. I learned a lot about my “best yes” from the book by the same title. Now that this has become habit for me, it’s time for a new resolution.
This year, my resolution is this: “Stay consistent”. I always start out the year doing really well but over time, my good habits just fade out. I have good intentions but without prioritizing them, I become inconsistent. In the end, so many aspects of my life and my well being suffer because I couldn’t prioritize the goals I had for myself at the start of the year.
This year, I’m changing that. I’m making a list of what I want to implement and I’m going to try my hardest to prioritize them until they become habit. The list I have for this year, could be resolutions within themselves but with my “resolution”, I encompass them all. In case you still need an idea, here it is:
- Go to the gym 5 times a week
- Walk Scout every day for at least 30 minutes
- Take vitamins
- Keep the house clean
- Spend more time outside
- Keep up with my yearly devotional
- Mark time and my appointments in my Erin Condren Life Planner
- Keep track of my budget and spending for better savings
- Drink more water
- Eat healthier, live a healthier life style
- Make time and room for my passions
- Don’t forget to have adventures
- Read 30 books (see my Goodreads challenge here)
If I can keep those things consistent, I have an inkling that I’ll feel something like this:
Key Things to Remember:
Whether you make a more general resolution like mine or specific ones, just remember that resolutions are there so that you are more aware of your behavior because behavior becomes habit.
It’s important to find a way to fit these resolutions into your life instead of letting them overcome your life. Schedule the time in.
Make your goal tangible. I find that if my resolution has been “get in shape”. What does that mean exactly? That’s why I broke it down to 5 days a week at the gym and 30 minute walks with Scout every day. It’s tangible, it’s a goal I can schedule into my life.
A new year’s resolution is meant for the entire year, you don’t have to get it done right now. Another trap I would fall into is “this has to happen right this instant”. A lifestyle change takes a bit, it doesn’t happen overnight. Whether it’s getting fit, which can take all year or longer, or going outside more, it takes awhile to integrate these new habits into your already busy schedule. Don’t beat yourself up if it’s not a bibbidi-bobbidi-boo moment.
Resolutions can change over the course of the year. One of the reasons I switched to more general resolutions is because individual ones never seemed to stick. And one of the reasons is because I would make it at the beginning of the year thinking one thing about how the year would go only to have it take another path entirely. It’s okay for resolutions to be flexible, to change as your life does.
Regardless of what your resolutions are or if you’ve made them, just make sure you do the best by you that you can. Do what you can to be happy and healthy – it’s all about balance. I hope you have an incredible year and that you take full advantage of this fresh, brand new start. So from Scout and I, happy new year, happy fresh start, happy everything!
