A New Year and a Different You
A New Year and a Different YouNew Year’s resolutions are the best and worst ideas all rolled into one. They can put us in a place of judgment, blame, and fear just as much as they can help us feel hope, energy, and commitment…. Until we mess up on all some of them within the first month and we’re back in the judgment, blame, and fear cycle again. As we get settled into 2016, I’ve decided that there are a few ways to commit to making healthy changes that won’t get old and won’t be derailed if (when) you forget.
- Don’t be the “new you”, just be you…
- Make small changes in small ways…
Don’t be the “new you”– just be youWhenever there is a chance to start something new (a new day, a new week, a new month, or a new year) many of us feel motivated to make big changes in our lives. We want a “new” year and a bright and shiny “new” us. While the intention to want to be a new person is tempting, it’s also something that can promote shame because it says that there was something deficient about the “old” you – and that’s just not true. There wasn’t anything wrong with you in 2015. We’re always doing the best we can with what we have and what we know at the time. So, instead of having a new you, just be you and do life in a different way. You’re the same you, and you’re approaching new (and old) situations in a different way this year.Make small changes in small waysAlong with doing things differently, we want to do EVERY thing differently, and quickly, so that we can make the biggest changes in the fastest time frame. We tend to want instant change overnight, yet none of what we want to change got that way overnight! This is also unhelpful and a recipe for shame because it implies that unless you can change everything all at once, and do so perfectly, then it’s not a good enough change or you’re not working hard enough. Let that go! It’s important to know that big changes start small. We find our way to successful change by designing a realistic approach. And small is very realistic. It lowers stress and anxiety by being manageable. Maybe what you think of as “starting small” doesn’t work on the first try. Guess what? That’s fine. In fact, a hiccup like that usually happens because your task needs to be a little smaller than your first approach in order to work. So start smaller on the second try, or the third, or the tenth until you get to a place where you find success, even if it’s small success.Every day is a new day whether it’s January or or a Monday in November. Because of that, it’s never too late to change the relationship you have with you life by being you in a different way and making small, simple changes to create a life that matters deeply to you.