People think that December, when we are endlessly plagued by nightmares of the year's failures, is the best time to make declarations about what we will and will not do in the new year. In reality, that is like vowing never to drive again right after hitting a particularly rough pothole. You are feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, and disappointed about your shortcomings throughout the year — which, by the way, is ALOT of pressure to take on in the few days before the new year comes in. My bottom line is that it is easy to go off the deep end making your resolutions, especially when you are trying to use the future to fix the past. You are inclined to make extravagant, unrealistic goals that only lead you to the next heartbreaking December when you realize you have failed again.
Newsflash: You are not "failing" because you are a horrible person — you are "failing" because you are making impossible goals! Cut yourself some slack, live your life! Plus, if you are making New Year's Resolutions, then that means nothing you have been through in the previous year, no matter how difficult, has killed you. You must be doing something right!
So now it is February, a very eventful calendar month, despite being the shortest. Let's see, there is Black History Month, President's Day, Lincoln's birthday, and this year's a leap year, so we get an extra day. Last, but most certainly not least, today marks the Chinese New Year (Cue confetti!). Besides celebrating, I think this makes February a marvelous time to evaluate how successful you have been so far at keeping up with those New Year's Resolutions (you know, since it is a new "New Year"); and by evaluate, I am also suggesting a few edits that will reduce your crazy without increasing your lazy.
What were your resolutions? Have you kept up with them all or are some starting to look like pipe dreams? If some have been really challenging, what has been making them difficult to achieve? Are your goals too broad? Too unrealistic? Not fitting into your life? And finally, are they really things that you want to achieve this year? Or are they only products of that December fever that makes you think you must morph into a new creature when the ball drops?
The trick is to be real with yourself. Know yourself, your life, and your habits. The New Year's first day cannot be the day you wake up a changed person. It can only be the day you make the decision to change (and it does not need to be the only one, either!). So, if you are the person who resolved to work out every day even though you go to school/work/have kids/have no time/hate sweat/want to feel your muscles at night, then maybe you have bitten off more than you can chew. Try cutting that down to three times a week and see how that feels; you can always increase it later. And if you are the foodie who cannot tell boredom from hunger — oh, wait, that's me! — who made a resolution to stave off carbs or only drink water... I think you get my drift. Take your transformation one day at a time. Celebrate small victories and do not punish yourself for a bad day or week. Do not set yourself up for the end-of-year depression. Make goals that fit into your life, and set yourself up for success!
