It’s happening. A new year. We start to see tons of ads, commercials, and messages all over talking about this change or that change. It’s everywhere. The new year often leaves us wanting to try something new. A whole new decade has amplified that feeling for many. We are inspired to make changes and live our best life. Where do we start?
Thinking about all the changes we want to make can be overwhelming. Many are thinking about diet changes, getting our bodies moving more, working out a budget, spending more quality time with our family or kids or friends, figuring out a work-life balance, carving out time for self-care, and whatever it is that their body is asking for. We wonder if we can do it. The obstacles start flooding in. We don’t have enough time or money or energy to accomplish the desired changes. Then the motivation fades and we get stuck.
Some people really thrive on change and even crave it. If that is the case for you, go.for.it! For many of us, thinking about all the changes we want to make feels like way too much pressure.
Here’s the thing, you don’t have to do ALL the things ALL at once! Just because it is January doesn’t mean we have to begin a huge wellness overhaul.
What if we chose ONE thing? Just one. What is one thing you are willing to do to help move forward that feels doable in this moment? Chose that thing. Try it out. See how it feels. Does it work for you? Some changes won’t feel feasible, and some will leave us feeling good and confident in the direction we are going. Small shifts will help us move forward.
Having trouble thinking about what your ONE thing will be? Carve out some space for yourself to reflect on this past year, pull out your journal or notepad, and follow the five steps below to help discover what may be best for you in this moment. We can do this for many areas of our life or choose to focus on one aspect, like our health.
Step One: Write down at least three things that worked well for you.
When did you feel the most joyful, creative, alive, and aligned with your best self? What do you want to do the same next year? It could be things like you enjoyed writing in a journal at night before bed or listening to audio books or podcasts while you got your body moving. Maybe you felt more balanced when you carved out some time for yourself, had regular girls’ nights scheduled, or spent time reading books at your favorite coffee shop. When were you able to be the most consistent with making your health a priority?
Step Two: What didn’t work so well or could have been better?
What do you want to do differently? This one can be tough. See what comes to mind for you. Honor the season you are in and all of the challenges that comes with it and be gentle with yourself. Maybe you can identify something that didn’t work at all and you want to stop doing it or perhaps it might be something that if you adjust it a little would work better for you.
Step Three: How would you describe your best life?
When you think about what you want for yourself, what does that look like? How do you feel? What are you doing? Not doing? Describe the vision you have for yourself living your best life, not just in 2020, but moving forward.
Step Four: What one thing are you willing to do to move yourself forward?
We often start thinking about all the changes we want to make and end up feeling overwhelmed and it stops us in our tracks. Overhauling our health and wellness is not a realistic approach for many of us, and choosing one thing to do differently or one new thing to integrate into our life feels doable. There’s no right or wrong answer here. A lot of figuring out what is going to work best for our health, our schedule, our circumstances is simply a trial and error. We try it out and we learn from it. If it works, awesome! If not, we can try something else. Small steps, even baby steps, move us forward and equal big change.
Step Five: What are at least five things you are grateful for?
What immediately comes to mind for you? It could be lessons learned through difficult times, improvements in health, a favorite memory, or a relationship. Focusing on what we are grateful for helps to shift our mindset, reduce stress, and gain a new perspective.
If you are on a roll with your ONE thing, consider adding another. It doesn’t have to be next week or even next month. When you are ready, choose one more thing. When you get to the end of 2020, where do you hope to be? Implement something that will help get you there. Choose to invest in yourself. You deserve it.
Happy New Year!
