What is is about the dawn of a New Year that inspires thousands of us to make resolutions to improve the quality of our lives? There is no real magic or mythology about the first day of the Gregorian calendar, but it has become symbolic of fresh starts and reinvention in modern Western culture.
For many years, the #1 New Year’s resolution in the United States has centered on getting healthy. Yet, when you think about it, January 1st is far from the ideal day to begin a fitness program. Desserts from the holidays fill our cupboards, we still have a few days to visit with family and friends before returning to work, and there are many long, cold nights ahead to tempt us to hibernate in front of the television.
Yet, our collective optimism prevails as we make our checklists of “to-do’s” that we believe will make us happier and healthier in the coming year. For many years, I was guilty of that approach. My list was long and detailed and totally un-doable. It looked a lot like the Niesen Report’s list of the top 10 New Year’s resolutions for 2015 you see below, with a few additions like writing the Great American novel.
| Stay fit and healthy | 37% |
| Lose weight | 32% |
| Enjoy life to the fullest | 28% |
| Spend less, save more | 25% |
| Spend more time with family and friends | 19% |
| Get organized | 18% |
| Will not make any resolutions | 16% |
| Learn something new/new hobby | 14% |
| Travel more | 14% |
| Read more | 12% |
The great thing about New Year’s resolutions is that they help us focus on our priorities and give us a healthy dose of optimism. The down side is the shame and failure we feel when we don’t stick with our commitments.
Have you ever thought about how unrealistic it is to expect to change 10 things about your life all at once? It is a set up for failure, and usually results in our not achieving even one of our goals.
I finally learned the hard way, and for the past several years I have a new approach. Instead of setting 10 or 12 resolutions, I use the occasion to focus on my priorities for the year ahead — choosing no more than 3-5 intentions for how I want my life to look. Then I choose just one action at a time to focus on for the next 30 days.
For example, in 2013 I decided to do a 1/2 marathon charity walk. So my first 30 day action step was to complete a 4-week interval walking program I found in Prevention magazine. I felt so good after the 30 days that I started looking forward to my morning walk and kept it up long after the 30 days had passed.
This year, I am doing a 30-day writing challenge. Each day for 30 days I have committed to doing my Artist’s Way morning pages to prime the pump for my blog and social media posts.
I have found that 30 days is the perfect amount of time to seed a habit, and ultimately to make lasting change in our lives. This works best if you choose a challenge that is fueled by a sense of passion or purpose rather than something you feel you “should” do.
I know that this process works, and I would love to share it with you. My new 30 day program will be ready to share soon, and I hope to see you there!
