Are you waiting until 1st January?
Picture the scene.
It’s New Year’s Day.
It’s grey and gloomy.
You are skint after spending your hard-earned cash on the latest gaming kit, exorbitantly-priced stocking fillers from Claire’s Accessories (£10 for a hair clip – you’re having a laugh) or multiple rounds of festive tipples.
You are most probably bloated from landing face-first in several yule logs or mini-mountains of pigs-in-blankets, and mindlessly scoffing Quality Street while dealing with the trauma of the ‘Call the Midwife’ annual winter episode.
You feel burnt out from frantic present shopping, excited children jumping on your head at 5am and a jam-packed schedule of either very merry or frankly torturous family gatherings.
You feel as faded as an old Christmas tree decoration in broad daylight.
And you’re fed up.
Very fed up.
So… you decide it’s the perfect time to completely overhaul your life.
NO. IT’S NOT.
‘OH YES IT IS!’ your brain cries in a panto refrain. And you decide it’s now or never.
Bring on the absolutes. You are NEVER going to do that thing again. Or you are ALWAYS going to do this thing. You feel determined, and possibly a bit panicky. But you are DOING IT.
But here’s the thing about New Year’s Resolutions. They are mostly complete waffle.
Nonsense. A waste of time. Doomed to fail.
Did you know, according to research*, only 16 percent of people stick to their resolutions? Due to lack of planning, consistency or accountability, the majority of us give up within one to six weeks of starting. But despite this, many of these resolutions are repeated year after year.
And each year you make the same demands, and then feel you have failed, chips away at the belief that you can actually shift the way your life plays out.
But have no fear, there is hope. I have a cunning plan! And I would like to share it with you. It’s a mindset thing.
Catch yourself as you slide into November apathy; deciding as the temperature drops and everything else ramps up towards Chrimble that there’s no point sorting anything out or making an effort until next year.
STOP THE ROT. DECIDE YOU ARE GOING TO LOOK AFTER YOURSELF NOW.
It could be a Friday, it could be halfway through the day or the month… it really doesn’t matter. You can refresh your head at any time and make a positive change.
And I’m not talking about piling on a whole load of pressure, as many of us do in January. I’m suggesting you tackle just one thing.
One thing that is bugging you.
The item on your ‘to do’ list that’s been languishing there for ages. The conversation you’ve been putting off. The pile of stuff on the sideboard in the hallway.
Make one new recipe that sparks your love of food again.
Complete one week without booze to clear your head.
Have one coffee with a friend you haven’t seen for ages.
Go for one walk in your local park or somewhere you would love to visit.
Choose one hobby that you really miss and take one hour in your week to do it again.
Put it in your diary. Commit to it. And when you’ve done your one thing you pick another.
What do you need more of in your life? What do you need less of in your day?
You don’t need to slide into the New Year feeling unfulfilled or frustrated. You can start to make things better now by breaking down the BIG bugbears crowding your head into small, manageable, satisfying things to tick off. And then build on that.
And if you’re finding it tough to start small or don’t even know where to begin, you can always talk to me.
* The Economic Times
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