It’s the last week of January 2019. How are you feeling? Was it the month you wanted it to be? How did those Resolutions go? Did you start strong and then lose your wind? Tell me what’s going on: shane@thestressdojo.com
I set an intention around business and around healthy eating. While the business stuff went pretty good, I had a dental drama that totally sidetracked healthy eating. I gotta get refocused on that. I learned from both what I got and what I didn’t.
Once the calendar flips from December to January, our motivation levels rise and we make goals for the new year. In reality, things happen and those resolutions might not be met. You might have to pivot from your original goals, for whatever reason, to meet your realistic standards. If your January had spots in it that weren’t up to your expectations and intentions, it’s time to refocus.
To help with that, consider these 6 ideas:
- Slow down. Rest. Take a quiet moment to yourself. Maybe it’s 10 minutes to take your foot off life’s gas pedal. A cup of coffee/tea alone, gazing out a window. How about a drive down a patch of highway where you can just get into your favorite music or the hum of the road.
- Inventory 1. What do you have now? What went well? What brought you joy? What filled up your soul?
- Inventory 2. Where did you end up short of your intentions? What went less well than you were hoping for?
- Curiosity. Through the lens of your inventories, what do you want now? How did those inventories change you? BOTH getting what we want AND not getting what we want change us. Be curious about those changes. Do you still want the same things? What needs to be tweaked or kept the same?
- Kaizen. This is a Japanese method of improvement in which we take what we want then look at what it takes to move 1% in that direction. Look at the results of your curiosity practice. What do you need to do that moves you 1% in that direction. 1% is an easy amount and once you achieve it, you can ask yourself what’s the next 1%. Step by step AND consistent movement paves the road of sustainable change.
- Pro tip: Accountability. Get help. Phone a friend. Plug into a Facebook group related to your challenge/activity/intention. For whatever you are trying to do, get connected for support and inspiration. There is nothing done with such difficulty as a thing done alone. Make a commitment to check in with your accountability partner/group/coach at least once a week if not more.
Resolutions are great. They help you focus on what your goals are and encourage you to work towards those goals. They are also not the end all, be all. They are not. Focus on where you are now, what you want to do or where you want to me, and move forward with the realistic goals you can achieve. Celebrate your wins, whatever they are. Let’s get on to creating forward movement for February (or whatever time you read this). New Year’s is not the only time to make changes. You can start any time right where you are.