As 2021 starts, one looks back at what 2020 was and wonders. It has been an interesting year to say the least. But, just like every day is a new opportunity, today particularly, brings with it hope for a better way ahead.
I am going to cut to the chase without a lot of flowery language and questions and information that tries to pull you into a purchase at the end of the post that seemingly takes forever to get to. In fact, there is nothing to purchase at the end (or the middle, or the beginning for that matter). This post is only to get you (and me) thinking.
We could spend a lot of time thinking about what we lost in 2020, what we didn’t do that we wanted to do, or get stuck reminiscing in those areas we failed – yes, failed. But don’t do that. Recognize and acknowledge it if last year was not what you wanted it to be and let that recognition be the catalyst that drives you to action. Over the next couple of weeks, I am going to post about making positive change and sticking with it. I am going to try to help make that change, whatever it is, easier to start and easier to stick with.
This is not going to be a “name it and claim it” self-help program. I am not going to tell you that you can be or do anything you want. I am going to help you figure out what and how to navigate the future starting with just today and today only. And it doesn’t matter if today is the first day of a new year, or the first day that you decide enough is enough and it is time to do better. We are going to start this journey right now.
Decide you will accept success, not failure. That does not mean we will never fail, for we surely will fail sometimes. Just choose not to accept failure and that when you do fail, you will try that much harder next time. Start today by picking one small thing. We are not going to lose 15 pounds, or commit to journaling every day, or exercising five days per week. We are just going to do one good thing today. I will get into this in another post, but one reason new year resolutions fail is that people become overwhelmed at the commitment. That is why all I ask is that you do one good thing for yourself today.
I have several things I want to do this year but if I tried to do it all on day one, I would probably quit on day two, maybe day three. I will go over planning out the year, goal-setting, developing good habits, and change over the next few weeks. All of those are processes and tackling everything all at once is a recipe for disaster.
For me, my positive thing for today is to increase my (good) fluid intake. Now you see that and think, “What, are you serious?” Absolutely! This is why. My overall goal is to improve my health, conditioning, stamina, and weight. But if I put that as my goal and tried to make a radical change to do it all, the truth is I would probably get frustrated when I did not see radical and immediate change. So, in order to see immediate success, I now keep a water bottle on my desk. It is a one-liter bottle and my goal is to fill and drink it all by lunch, then repeat in the afternoon. I can do this every day as I leave the bottle on my desk in front of my computer monitor. Does this meet my ultimate goal? No, but it gets me started down that road. Proper hydration helps you get rid of waste, helps regulate temperature, lubricates and cushions joints, and protects sensitive tissues.
There are things I did today that I will continue, but as a commitment for today, not as a new year resolution. TODAY I spent 5 minutes in silence. You can call it meditation, quiet time, or whatever, but I just sat still and cleared my mind for 5 minutes. I also spent 10 minutes reading. I chose to read Proverbs Chapter 1 from the Bible. Religious or not, I challenge you to read that one chapter with an open mind. And, I spent a couple of minutes writing some things down in a notebook. More to follow on that!
There will come a time in the near future where I will offer paid content and training, links to products and tools I find useful, personal coaching, speaking engagements, and consulting. But that is for later and the one promise I will make now is that I will not drag you through a lot of what you see in online sales and pitches. There will be some, but only to explain the offering. I will not repeat myself for 20 minutes like you see in the infomercials where you have to listen the whole time to get to the offer. My explanations will be clear, quick, and concise and you can take it or leave it.
Best wishes to all for a great new year. But if the year is going to be great, you have to decide you will be engaged in the process of making it great. It will not “just happen.”