The New Year is upon us, as well as a new decade, so have you written down your New Year Resolutions yet? If not, good for you\u2014don\u2019t do it!<\/p>\n
New Year Resolutions can be overwhelming, especially if they involve stretch goals or big changes. Generally, we are not a species that welcomes change, and when we don\u2019t keep our New Year Resolutions, we get discouraged, label ourselves as \u201cfailures,\u201d and give up wholesale. Or, our resolutions start off with a bang and gradually fall by the wayside as we slide back into our comfortable, and sometimes non-productive, routine. If you\u2019ve ever joined a gym on January 1 and stopped going by February 1, you know what I\u2019m talking about.<\/p>\n
Developing New Year Resolutions is entirely the wrong approach for making changes in our lives. Typically, the goal of yearly resolutions is to improve our lives in some way. But why wait until the New Year to start? Every day\u2014every minute\u2014is a chance to begin anew. Also, making sweeping changes (especially too many of them at once), and expecting them to manifest immediately as Life Improved, will guarantee failure.<\/p>\n
Self-improvement is a habit, not a resolution<\/em>. And habits take time to develop and show results.<\/p>\n For example, if (like me) you have a sugar addiction and you consume too much of it, you don\u2019t gain weight immediately. Unless you\u2019re one of those people who can eat anything without gaining an ounce, over time you\u2019ll gain weight through your habit of eating too much sugar. You might also develop type 2 diabetes and other health issues. It\u2019s our habits over time that create who we are today. Likewise, the habit of saving money today isn\u2019t going to make you a millionaire tomorrow. But over time, the continued savings will start to pay off, for better or worse.<\/p>\n In a previous post I mentioned James Clear\u2019s Atomic Habits<\/a><\/em>, and because he\u2019s so spot on, I\u2019m again highly recommending this book. At least sign up for his newsletter. Mr. Clear is passionate about the art and science of how to live better. He writes about how to artfully apply the root causes of human behavior (the science) to help people apply them to their daily practice\u2014their habits.<\/p>\n New behaviors take time to develop into habits, so just like you can\u2019t expect immediate results, you can\u2019t expect to wave your Harry Potter wand and suddenly have a new, easily implemented habit. Creating new habits is an effort. Change takes time, which is why habits are best created in increments you can handle. To get started, follow these tips:<\/p>\n New behaviors require creating better habits, which ultimately lead to our better selves. Whether you want to improve your physical health, practice being more kind and patient, create a peaceful, less stressful environment at home or at work, or whatever improvement you want to see in your life, it begins with self-care. This is a revelation, not a resolution.<\/p>\n I will leave you with a quote from James Clear:<\/p>\n \u201cI believe the best way to change the world is in concentric circles: start with yourself and work your way out from there. If you get yourself sorted out, then that is one less person for the world to worry about. You’ll be in a position to contribute rather than consume. You will add order rather than disorder.\u201d<\/p>\n Wishing you a New Year full of the good things, 2020 vision to see your self-care needs, and the development of the necessary small habits that lead you to your ultimate goal.<\/p>\n For more resources on self-care through retreating, visit my resources page<\/a>.<\/p>\n Happy journeying!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Approach habits with due care
<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n
Join the self-care revelation
<\/strong><\/h3>\n