I actually hate New Year’s resolutions. Is that weird coming from a therapist? To be honest, I do love goal setting and all the personal growth stuff that comes with it; I just tend to do it on my birthday. Maybe that’s a little weird too?
Every October I take time on my actual birthday, to write down all the things I’d like to accomplish in the coming year, before I’m another year older. These personal goals are usually surrounding how to be a better person, a better spouse, a better mom to my kids, a better friend, and so on and so forth. Then, I list a few smaller, attainable goals to help me on my way to these bigger life goals.
If you’re a resolution lover, this same concept can be applied here as well (or you can just wait until your next birthday, when you feel ready, your choice!).
Start small and then build from there!
I think that’s often the hardest part for most of us. We want what we want RIGHT NOW! We’re impatient, and when things get hard, we often see stopping as the easy way out.
What if you stuck to it when things got hard?
What if you anticipated that things were going to be hard at some point during this process? So, when they are difficult, you can remind yourself that you knew that it would be, you expected it, and you planned for these difficulties already.
What if you remembered the concept of two steps forward, one step back, and reminded yourself that with every setback, you’re still making progress and moving forward!
What if a month, six-months or a year from now, you knew deep down that you’d be in a very different place, a better place in your own life, because you made a commitment to yourself to start today? Because you’re ready today, not on New Year’s Day or your birthday, but today, right now, in this very moment, the times just feels right to you!
Remember, these big goals are hard for all of us. The setbacks that inevitably come up and test our willpower, and test us as people, those instances are hard for every single one of us!
But, how will you feel when you actually accomplish your big, personal goal? Try using mindfulness and your five senses to take yourself there in your mind. Can you see it? Feel it? Smell it? Taste it? Touch it?