With the new day comes new strength
and new beginnings. - Eleanor Roosevelt
Welcome to 2014. A new year, new adventures, new beginnings and new memories. Do you make resolutions? Do you start hitting the gym, begin diets, make a bucket list? Do you suffer the disappointment of not keeping your resolutions, your diet stalls and you end up as a couch potato by the time the Super Bowl rolls around?
The new year is a good time to begin afresh, but the best of intentions fail when you try to implement too much change at once, at least this has been my experience.
So I don't make resolutions for the new year. Instead I set goals and continually strive to eat better, exercise more, stay positive, be nicer, be more organized (stay organized) and a whole host of other things.
Every time I fall off the wagon, I pick myself up, brush the dust off and remind myself that I can do this.
Here are some tips on how to start small and accomplish your goals (not resolutions).
- Pick one or two things that you think you can do regularly. If you don't exercise, try walking for 15 minutes every day. If you do work out, add a class, increase a weight, time or distance.
- Instead of a full blown diet, choose a healthy snack such as yogurt or nuts over candy and chips or water over sugared beverages.
- Skip the numbers. Forget the holiday statistics. Don't focus on your weight in pounds. Let your body be your guide. You will know when things are working for you.
- Get organized one project at a time. Change is overwhelming so don't decide to do a major overhaul in January and find yourself afloat in chaos come Spring. Make a list. Compartmentalize each project so that you start and finish one before moving on to another. This will keep your house in order and your sanity intact.
- Try something new. This can be anything from creative arts to taking a cooking class, learning a foreign language, travel or volunteering. Find your passion and embrace it.
- Relax. This is something many of us need to work on. We think if we are relaxing, i.e. "doing nothing" that we are wasting time, not being productive or just lazy. Not true. Relaxation allows you to restore your balance, reduce stress and increase focus when you return to your activities.
Remember, starting small doesn't mean thinking small. Whatever you dream, you can do.
Wishing you all a Happy and Healthy New Year!