Rethinking Your Resolution

     So, here we are guys. We’ve reached the end of another year. The year of 2018 was kind of an odd one for me. I experienced some necessary growth, I tended to my mental health and I found great inspiration in the success of women around the world. On multiple occasions, this year has also made me stop in my tracks only able to utter to word, “Why…?” Like every year, there were incredible highs and miserable lows. Here’s some good news though, we made it! Through the good and bad, we’ve made it past 2018 and now it’s time to tackle whatever 2019 has to offer. So, what’s next? Well, first champagne. Like I said, it has been a weird year. But what about after the cork has been popped and the bubbles have gone flat? It’s resolution time.

     Similar to the year of 2018, New Year’s Resolutions have always been kind of a mixed bag for me. Every year I make a list of 20 plus goals with zero wiggle room. I MUST lose X amount of weight. It is ESSENTIAL that I make X amount of money per month. The list goes on and on. Goal making is kind of my jam. I love striving towards self-improvement, but when life gets in the way and I’m unable to accomplish the strict and sometimes unreasonable goals I’ve set for myself, I feel extremely guilty. In fact, if the year doesn’t begin exactly the way I envisioned, the likelihood of me bailing on my resolution list is high. It’s tough to start off the year feeling full of hope, only to feel like you’re a failure a few months later. Just know that if you feel this way too, you aren’t alone. According to a recent statistic, 80% of people give up on their resolutions by February. Only 9% of those who did stick to their goals felt successful at the end of the year. Why is it that something designed to motivate us can so easily leave us feeling discouraged? More importantly, what can we do to accomplish the awesome goals we’ve set for ourselves?

     Around this time of year, my tendency to think in black and white can get the best of me. My goals are all set in stone. The calories I should eat, the miles I should run and the pounds I should lose are predetermined and there is zero room for error. The second I slip up with any of my inflexible resolutions, I feel like a failure. This leads me to my resolution for 2019. This year I’m trying something a little different. Instead of setting multiple resolutions that can be tracked and measured over time, I’m going to look at the big picture. For the first time in my life, I have only one resolution: To live my life without fear. This resolution can’t be measured with a scale or documented on My Fitness Pal. This change will come from within and that kind of terrifies me. My fear of failure has held me back for years. If I wasn’t certain I would succeed, I wouldn’t try. I’ve agreed to attend amazing fitness classes with friends, only to back out at the last second. I’ve stayed at jobs that didn’t bring me joy for years because I was afraid to fail at something new. That’s what self-improvement is all about though, right? Accepting failure and learning from the experience. This year I’m going to sign up for exercise classes that make me nervous. I’m going to polish up my resume and apply for my dream career, even when my negative inner voice tells me I don’t deserve it. I’m going to fully step out of my comfort zone.  I’ll continue running, eating foods that fuel my body and striving towards a healthy weight, but I won’t let those goals determine if my year was a success. For years I’ve been setting myself up for what I feared the most by creating resolutions that I couldn’t stick with. It’s time to start this new year with a new outlook.

 

     We are all individuals who are motivated in different ways. If you’re like me and haven’t had much luck with your list of goals in the past, maybe try to find a wide-ranging resolution to help guide your year. If you enjoy goals that can be measured over time, then dive into your remarkable list of hopes for the new year and make some incredible changes.  That being said, if you’re happy with yourself and where you’re at in life, don’t let the pressure of resolution talk convince you that you need to change. No matter what your plan is for 2019, please know that your happiness should be at the top of any list you create. No matter what happens this year, it is important to treat yourself with kindness and patience. You are worthy of self-improvement and you’re allowed to do things at your own pace. Perfection is an unattainable goal and no matter where you’re at in your journey, you’re doing just fine. We all know life is unpredictable, so try to be mindful of that by giving yourself a little wiggle room this year. There are 365 days in the year. That means we have plenty of time to make mistakes, make memories and make ourselves proud. I’ll raise my glass to that.