Every December we create a personalized list of things we’ll “do differently” next year. Whether that’s going to the gym more, eating healthier, doing less of something and more of another or whatever it may be – chances are they last a week.
I’ll tell you a secret though… you don’t actually have to wait til Jan. 1 to start doing those things. Seriously. Yes, it can be nice to have a set date and seems all nice and aesthetic, but you’re setting yourself up for failure.
According to Forbes, Quitters Day takes place about the second Friday of every January where a vast majority of these “go-getting-new-year-new-me-resolution-enthusiats” call it quits and stop following their so-called resolutions.
Here’s the thing, you can’t turn your life around overnight. Sorry, it just doesn’t happen. You don’t just wake up one morning and magically start a whole new routine and become a whole new person. Unless you’re a sociopath, that kind of two-faced behavior just doesn’t happen.
Even if you’re the most unorganized, uncoordinated and chaotic person, you have a routine. It may not be orthodox, but routine doesn’t always have to be set times of the day where you’re doing x, y and z. It’s habits and behaviors and little rituals that make up you as a human being.
If you want a new routine, start small. Make little adjustments to your day-to-day and gradually over time follow through with those resolutions. Sure, it’s definitely possible to start doing every new thing you want to accomplish overnight. It’s just not realistic.
You eventually tap out because when work picks back up and life comes back in full swing, it’s easier to fall back into familiarity than stick with something hard.
Also, more often than not people don’t always realize how hard it is to actually be disciplined and consistent. If you want to achieve your goal, you have to actually commit. Another thing to think about is realistic expectations.
One of my resolutions was to run more. Not everyday, just more. I already run pretty consistently, but I knew saying “every day” wouldn’t be doable. There will be sick days, hard days, bad weather days, busy days and all of the above.
On that note, just because you fumble along the way doesn’t mean the whole resolution is ruined. You wouldn’t get 90% of the way through building a house and go “oh shoot, I put this in the wrong way. Guess the whole thing is ruined!” You’d fix it and move on. If you mess up along the way, just try again the next day.
If you’re struggling now to keep up with your own resolutions, try to create a day by day plan as to how you’ll achieve those goals and create real incentive for yourself to finish them.
On top of that, stop blaming a year for all of your misfortune. It’s not the years fault you had one crappy thing after another happen. Spoiler alert: that’s called life. It’s filled with ups and downs. Just because the clock resets doesn’t guarantee you a perfect year. “2026 will be my year!” Okay, so make it your year. Stop blaming the world and a calendar for your life and what you do with it.
If you did already tap out on your goals, don’t be too hard on yourself.
I mean, hey… there’s always next year.
