Don't Give Up On Your New Year's Resolutions!

Flashback to January 2 – you’re excited and full of resolutions for 2020.  You bought the Peloton bike, you’re ready to do Keto, you got that 1000 page book you wanted to read and you put in your calendar to call Grandma at least twice a week.  You’re ready to go!

Flash forward to January 21 – you’ve used the bike about four times, you’ve had some carbs and dessert with your Keto, you haven’t got past chapter one because you keep falling asleep when you pick up that book and you’ve called Granny a total of once. 

Does the above scenario describe your life?  Well, don’t feel bad as many of us experience the same flurry of intention and activity at the beginning of every new year, only to lose momentum in only a couple of weeks sometimes.  We judge and criticize ourselves which doesn’t help and then the year invariably becomes a set of start and stop moments.  Wash, Rinse, Repeat, Repeat, Repeat. 

So how do we break out of the cycle of broken resolutions and self-‘judginess’? 

There are no hard and fast solutions but here’s what we think. 

Take small steps – having grand goals can be amazing but breaking down those goals and making them more manageable helps make them not feel so momentous and perhaps impossible.  Try to get from A to B to C and eventually you will get to Z. 

Don’t try to do a million things at once – choose one or two strategic activities and get those done then move on to the next two and get those done as well.  Wash, Rinse and Repeat in small, positive doses. 

Celebrate small so you can then celebrate big – pat yourself on the back for completing each day at a time.  Your sense of accomplishment will help you create a cycle of good feelings and focused behaviours. 

Be kind to yourself – if you didn’t get to the bike today, it’s ok.  Do it tomorrow.  You’re not a bad person. 

So, Shades readers, don’t give up on those resolutions just yet.  Just approach them in a different way and we think you will be better off for it!

Now go call Granny.  She probably has some great advice too. 

Have a great week!