Every year, people create New Year’s resolutions. As the beginning of the year approaches these are goals commonly set to support their “New Year, new me” journey. There is excitement in making these promises to yourself, but many times it can discourage us when our focus starts to waver.
The issue with these resolutions is we often try to reinvent ourselves instead of improving. So when we start to stray from it we are disappointed. With that disappointment comes abandonment. The fire burns out almost as quickly as it was ignited. The fault is not in resolutions themselves, but the extent of them. If you’re an antisocial night owl and set a resolution to become an early bird chatterbox, you probably won’t have the best time sticking to it.
This tradition has grown in popularity with the emergence of time-based challenges like “75 Hard.” While these aren’t bad things to try, it has caused a ripple effect in individuals who don’t see these as temporary challenges. No one should have to wake up at 5 a.m. every day, be the epitome of peak health and have a perfectly planned-out daily routine on day one.
Human beings do best with routine, but I, personally, think it’s best to start small and simple. Gradually expose yourself to the routine. If you want to start waking up at 5 in the morning, wake up earlier and earlier every day for one week and ease into it. If you struggle to do it, take a better look at your sleep routine. If you normally play on your phone before bed, that can stimulate you and disrupt your sleeping pattern. Start small and try reading a book before bed.
Do you want to lose weight this year or improve your overall health? Start by cutting out things like sugary beverages. Once you’ve cleared your kidneys and water doesn’t taste like backwash, start cutting out junk foods and so on! It is a process and the success rate can differ from person to person.
The issue with resolutions isn’t the resolution making itself! It’s the idea that improving yourself means being an entirely different person. And also the idea that your resolution has to change or reset at the beginning of the year. Change happens with consistency! If you continue to make improvements to yourself, you will continue to see the fruits of your labor.
