December 3, 2024
Hey, folks!
We’re getting closer to the time of year where people are starting to think about their New Year’s resolutions. They’re often hopeful and shiny… and then by January the interest in starting them in the first place has waned. Excuses have been made, procrastination has set in. (I’m not calling anyone out. This is also applicable to me.)
But there’s something I’ve discovered about resolutions that was very helpful for me.
You don’t have to wait for January 1st. You can start on them when you get excited about the spark of the idea.
(I’m aware this doesn’t apply to every goal, or to every person. This approach may not resonate with you, and that’s ok! This is for anyone who needs to hear that it’s ok not to do a New Year’s resolution the traditional way.)
A few years ago, I came up with a New Year’s resolution at the start of December. It was to slow down and find at least one moment of joy every day, and then at the end of the day, write down as many as I could remember. Even if it was just one, it would show me that something good can happen, even on terrible days. I really needed to do it, for my mental health and happiness.
But I realized… I didn’t want to wait until January. In fact, if I thought if I did wait, I wouldn’t start at all.
So I got a joy journal and started somewhere around December 2, and I’ve only missed writing in it a handful of days in the last few years. It’s been wonderful, and a nice reminder that happiness can be seized in the worst of times as well as the best.
But enough about my goal.
Sometimes, a goal demands to be done now. Not a month from now, not eight months from now. Right now. An excitement comes over you when you come up with it, and you want to put it in place. So why wait?
Why hold off until January to do it?
Maybe you need structure, and something like writing a book with a group is what you need. Maybe that group is actually starting in January. But why wait until then to start at least brainstorming some ideas? Or to get yourself a nice journal or pen or mug to get yourself even more excited? But if you don’t need that structure, and you’re simply waiting for the date to come around…
Why not do the thing now? Every day has the potential to be the start of a new thing, a metaphorical new year. Maybe this is your sign to lean into that.
(And the little treats can be applied in this case, too 😉)
What’s your approach to New Year’s resolutions? Do you make them, skip them, have your own approach to them? I’d love to know!