By the time you are reading this you will likely have made, and then broken, a number of New Year resolutions. That new gym membership? Diet? Pantry organization? Financial plan? Why do we set ourselves up for failure every year by making grand boasts over champagne as the clock strikes midnight and then, starting the new year already overwhelmed and over obligated?
On one hand, it really is just a fun tradition and nothing to take very seriously. But for many people, a new year is their chance for a new start and when they inevitably can not keep those resolutions, self-esteem and confidence plummet. That is definitely NOT the way we want to start out a new year. Parents have so much on their plate and being a parent means making a new resolution practically every day. Organize the play room, save more money, spend more quality time with the kids. The list can seem endless… but there is hope!
Forget all those promises you made to yourself when you were either tipsy or sleep deprived (totally the same sensation by the way) and consider some mini goals that you can work on to make your home or work life easier. Develop a short term plan on a small project and be positive about it!
For example, I have been trying to decorate and organize the bedrooms of my children for well over a year. I have many more ideas and Pinterest boards than I have money in the bank but on January 1st I bought a simple toy storage rack from a buy-sell Facebook group, organized all my son’s toys by type, and voila! Sure I would want to paint the rack white, change up the bin color, etc. But it is about taking mini steps and working on little things one at a time.
The feeling of accomplishment and relief after actually starting a task and being able to finish it was all I needed to get this new year off to a roaring start. I’m sure many more task items will go unfinished but the most important thing is that we don’t hold ourselves to an impossible standard or feel like failures just because we didn’t stick to a silly promise we made ourselves.
Did you plan on going to the gym every day? Maybe just aim for 2x a week. Or a walk around the block instead. Having trouble sticking to that new diet? Just aim for at least one healthier dinner per week. It’s not silly to start small and be happy at what progress you did attain. Before you know it, that small step will become a habit and the next goal will expand on the progress of the first.
I wish you all a happy and joyful 2017. May you all get one mini-step closer to your goals!
So true! My goal for January was to eat all real, whole foods… Well that lasted about 9 days! However, instead of giving up I’m trying to stick with it most of the time and allow a little treat here and there. Not ever eating treats just isn’t fathomable for me, so I’m just doing the best I can without being too hard on myself! Thanks for the reminder though about taking little steps and be happy with what I have accomplished!
That’s awesome Melissa! All or none is not the way to go, we all need our “cheat days” and just little breaks without having to feel horrible that we have failed at something no one is judging us for. And kudos to you for making the effort to eat healthy! =)
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