It’s that time of the year.
You are probably familiar with the drill. The last number of the year changes and a world of new possibilities is opened up.
A new year for gym memberships, diets, resolving to slow down, or speed up. To work less or work more.
To magically do things we have quite honestly sucked at in the past.
No judgement there- just reality. And I have been there as well.
I think the best day to go to the gym is probably the middle of week 2 of the new year. By then many of the resolvers have decided to shelve it again until next year.
Research shows that only 9% of resolutions stick.
One big reason is that we do not clearly define our resolutions. Goals need to be specific, measurable, and attainable. Many are none of those. Of course they are going to fail. How many of your resolutions are goals that fit all three criteria? Again- finger pointed right back at me. I have not always won in this arena.
What if there is a better way? What if instead of resolutions, we worked on a couple of simple habits that could make a huge difference in your life? And what if these habits would be less likely to set you up for failure?
I did what everyone does when they want to hear what people are thinking- I went to Facebook and asked about habits. Let me just say thank you to all for your responses! I was blown away! You all are awesome!
If you didn’t answer you are still awesome! Stay with us- there’s some good stuff here.
I want to suggest you consider adding three habits- one for each of these categories. It’s interesting- these were the three I had in mind before asking and the responses fell in line perfectly!
Doing things today to set yourself up for success tomorrow
(or setting your day up for success at the beginning)
These are things like Juli suggesting a brain dump of the thoughts in her head before bed so they don’t clutter her mind. Or Ashleigh and Andrew getting laundry and dishes done or started at night so they aren’t an issue in the morning.
John and Marla both have Bible verses and prayers they say before getting out of bed in the morning. I can’t think of a better habit to start the day!
And John keeps his phone out of his bedroom. This is one of my personal favorite habits! It can make such a huge difference!
How could you set yourself up for success today or tomorrow?
Enjoying simple pleasures.
These simple pleasures are anything in life that you can find enjoyment in. Morning coffee or tea, exercise, or a conversation.
Racheal, Melissa, and Alyssa enjoy the simple pleasure of yoga and the mindfulness and breathing that result. And Kathy, much like me, enjoys a quiet morning prayer walk.
For me- a sunset, a walk to or home from work, a game with my family, time in my prayer room, a meal shared with others.
What simple pleasures are around you that you could find deep meaning and enjoyment from? These don’t need to be grandiose to be significant!
Quiet
Those of you that have spent any time with me know how I feel about quiet and solitude. I truly believe that this will be essential to our well-being in an increasingly fast-paced world. We need to slow our minds down and have some white space for our brains to recover from the onslaught of screens.
Karen, Joy, Bruce, and Sue agreed and all try to incorporate quiet into their lives.
How can you find 5-15 minutes in your day for quiet? Trust me on this one- it is a game-changer. And don’t overthink it. Just a few minutes of quiet.
So there you have it. These are not earth-shattering. And they are not things that set you up for failure. What if this is the year we say no to resolutions that won’t last and try to pick up a few small habits that we can incorporate into daily life, track them, and see what happens.
And if they don’t stick, remember this- life is a series of experiments. Just devise a few new ones!
I believe in you. It’s a great time to #WINtheNOW and believe that #gooddaysareahead!
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