To resolve or not resolve…
Resolve to not resolve
I have a love hate relationship with New Year’s resolutions. Sticking with them is a challenge, yet making an assessment of where you’re at and where you want to go makes a lot of sense. I would like to do this more frequently. (Hmmm..maybe that’s one for my list this year.)
When we regularly check in with where we are at, we can make adjustments along the way and can stay on course to be the best version of ourselves. This also helps us to remember what we want to achieve. I think it’s common to set a resolution starting January 1st, only to forget what it was by February 1st. At least that’s how it’s been for me.
A few years back, someone suggested making a list of things to do vs resolutions. I started in 2018 with a list of 18 things to do. When I looked at the list mid-year, I got excited to finish the list. It felt good to finish the year and checking off a list of different things I always wanted to do. The frustration of not achieving my weight loss goals was replaced by the thrill of committing to and completing a 5k.
The other piece I love about making a list of things to try, is it gets me thinking about novel ideas. I didn’t check off the take a ballroom dance lesson, and so it’s still there in my mind. Someday I will make that happen. I can plan time with family and friends. I can try a new food. I can expand my brain. My resolutions now are no longer dependent on the scale. Their focused on making overall improvements in my mind, body and spirit.
2021 has me looking at a list of 21. It seems daunting, yet it gives me something to look forward to. Ideally we set objective and measurable goals with a time frame to keep us on track. This is a great technique but even if you just put down a ‘to-do’, it’s still a step in the right direction. The other benefit of measurable timeframes is knowing that a goal achieved is actually a stepping-stone to the next goal. If you have a big goal of doing a back handspring, you may set a short goal of being able to do a handstand. When you’re able to do a handstand you progress to the next level etc. Over time, you keep progressing and you keep pushing yourself to do better.
Some goals may be a challenge. Continuing to assess where you are at throughout the year can help you adapt or change direction. This way we don’t lose steam on any action and just give up, but rather keep moving ahead. And if you finish your list you can always add more. Mikhail Gobachev said it best “If you are not moving forward, you are moving backwards.”
Below is my list of 21 for 21. I still have work to do making them more specific…but at least I have something to look forward to in 2021 and I have some actions to get moving toward.
1. Read 21 minutes every day (I got this idea from the Happier Podcast, with Gretchen Rubin. Episode 305)
2. Meditate 10 minutes per day
3. Write at least 10 minutes every day
4. Finish Cheer book
5. Monthly hangout with family and friends
6. Learn how to play the drums
7. Retake NKT level 3
8. Complete AYI Certification
9. Visit nieces and nephews
10. Quarterly check in with my goals
11. Clean my car monthly
12. Save 10% of income
13. Organize 2nd bedroom
14. Organize books
15. Paint camp
16. Run 100 miles; ride 1000 miles; 150 gym workouts
17. Daily mobility work including 5 minutes of cogs
18. Release 52 podcasts
19. Donate old clothes
20. Take a salsa lesson
21. Track food and activity every day
What is on your list?