Some of us get excited about the new year. We see it as a new chapter in our books: a blank page, a clean slate. Others are so sick of the “new year, new you” grandiosity that emerges this time of year. We cast cynical eyes at the bright-eyed hopefuls…mentally calculating how long it will take them to fall back to the bottom of the same pits they’ve lived in for years. Social media is full of commentary on ‘new year resolutions’ – some encouraging, some disparaging and some offering a ‘third way’ perspective. Where do you fall on the continuum?
Regardless of your stance, there is a reason that humanity so consistently gravitates toward new year rituals. I believe we are naturally wired to operate seasonally. A brief look at nature shows us this rhythm: each year there is soil preparation, planting, hope, watering, weeding, harvesting, barrenness and then new beginnings. In the winter, the farmer assesses the previous year’s experience, using that information to plan out the next year’s crops. Seeds are ordered and excitement begins to build toward the possibilities next summer. Is it any coincidence that those same activities seem natural to us in the middle of winter (New Year’s Day)? Seems to me that adopting a crotchety attitude toward all of this is rather fruitless (no pun intended 🙂 ). Thus, we have a choice: do we jump on the bandwagon of renewal or do we sit it out with the assumption that nothing ever changes anyway?
I’m a counselor so I’m sure it’s no mystery where I fall. My entire field is about transformation so any excuse to move toward that is something to be excited about in my world. I believe the key is realism. I think this is where the bandwagon falls apart – we spend December in a whirlwind of comparison. The holidays ramp up the social media highlight reel, making it that much easier to look at our own lives through a distorted lens which inspires a long laundry list of all that is wrong. We spend December mentally beating ourselves up and by the 31st, we have created a herculean plan for life overhaul which we enthusiastically proclaim and begin on the 1st. Only to fall flat before the first month of the year is done 🙁 . Yeah….let’s not do that again.
Again, realism is key. It is now the third day of the year. I’ll assume we’ve basically come down from the high of the first day and we may already be casting skeptical eyes at our resolutions. Before you abandon ship, could we explore some adjustments? I’d like to offer a few suggestions:
- Resolutions are goals. They are nice for painting the destination but they don’t necessarily give us any idea how to get there. We need to define action steps.
- If you made more than one resolution, may I suggest that you choose just one? What is most important to you? Focus is vital!
- Reflect on 2016. What happened in this area of your life? What were the specific things that held you back in this area? Make a list of those factors.
- For each item on the list – what specific action will you need to take to conquer that obstacle? What routines will you need to develop in order to reprogram the way you typically operate? What rewards do you need to set up to reinforce these new behaviors? Break things down into a list of small, specific steps.
- Break our your calendar/planner (paper or electronic) and start mapping out those specific steps throughout the entire year. Spread out the steps so that you are doing no more than one new thing each week. Don’t take everything on at once! Stagger out the steps over time so that you make changes gradually – giving yourself enough time to establish each new step before moving to the next one.
- Ideally, it is best if you schedule the steps at a particular time/day but at the very least, record a reminder on a particular day of the week (or repeated every day of that week if needed). Consider setting alarms on your phone to remind you of things you need to do.
- While you’re at it – schedule a monthly check in now to assess how you’re doing: what’s working and what needs to change.
- What resources can you turn to for maintaining hope throughout the year? (Magazines, Facebook pages, blogs, devotionals, etc.) Sign up for those now so it is automatic.
- Who can you enlist as an accountability partner/encourager? Talk to them now and agree on specific contact: weekly phone call/text/Facebook message? Consider including that person in your monthly check ins to help you assess and stay on track.
Transformation is extremely difficult but it is definitely possible. As we’ve discussed before in this space, it is nearly impossible to do alone though so if you find yourself struggling to stay the course, if you can’t find effective support – please consider counseling. Good therapy is one of the best ways to pursue renewal so don’t flounder alone!