As I write this, it is January 11. 11 days into the new year, and many people I talk to have already told me that they have blown their resolutions.
How about you?
Before you decide if you failed or not, give me another couple of paragraphs’ worth of your time.
If you’ve made a resolution to go to the gym every day and you’ve already missed a day or three…
If you were sure you were going to lose two pounds a week starting January 1 but you’ve gained a pound since you started working out…
If you’ve sworn never to eat sugar or dairy again and there’s a Hershey bar in your hand as you read this…
Even if you resolved to read a book every week and you haven’t finished 1.5 books yet…
…did you fail?
What Change Looks Like
Change is about this big: [ ].
Change is the product of making small decisions over a period of time in support of your goal or vision.
It’s not sexy, but it’s true.
Change says fall seven times, stand up eight. Change is that cliche journey that began with a single step.
If your resolutions failed you…
If you made resolutions that are ALL OR NOTHING, like going to the gym every day or never eating cake even if you’re at your best friend’s wedding, your resolution has failed you. That black and white thinking doesn’t work for anyone, because life is full of different challenges every day. Before you give up on the whole year when we’re just 11 days into it, will you consider a revision?
Will you look at what you wanted to accomplish with your resolution and resolve to take sensible, accessible, maybe even easy steps toward that goal or vision?
Like if you want to get in shape, will you get on board with the idea that not even professional athletes work out every day, so you should make or find or ask a professional for a plan to help you reach your version of “in shape”?
Or if you want to lose weight, will you accept that fad diets and MLM shake scams are called “fad diets” and “scams” and not “medical advice” because they’re not really very effective or good for you, and instead ask a pro what and how much and how often you should eat to reach your goals, or at least choose to nourish your body with good and satisfying choices?
And if you’re reading a book a week, will you please read an extra one for me? Because it’s been a while since I read something cover to cover that wasn’t for work or school.
Take the journey.
If you were driving somewhere new and made a wrong turn, would you just turn around and go home? Or would you find a way to correct your route and keep going?
Mm-hmm. Exactly.
You will take wrong turns on your fitness journey, but they don’t mean you should give up! You will choose ineffective strategies, make small choices that don’t serve your goals, and maybe even forget about your vision altogether when life gets busy and it turns out that fitness isn’t your top priority (or is it?), but none of those steps are failure – they are just the scenic parts of the route.
(And if you want to take the highway instead, get in touch with a qualified professional and follow their advice.)
PS – I even “failed” at this blog post, because I wanted to get it up in the morning on the 10th, and here I am pressing “publish” in the afternoon on the 11th…but it was important to me, so I didn’t throw it in the bin! And here we are <3
