Did you fight the odds and waste time making a resolution yesterday?
Setting a goal for the New Year always seems appealling.
It’s a fresh start.
But it usually becomes too much pressure. Too much of an unnatural intrusion into established life.
To increase chances of persisting with any new habit:
- Choose just one (small) thing.
- Start on any day except January 1st.
In this way, your sense of freedom will expand so you can actually have good feelings about developing your new habit.
Success is not possible without failure.
They are intrinsically interwoven.
So with a New Year’s resolution, when most people miss a day, that’s it – show’s over and they should just stop trying.
Starting on any day except January 1st, however, compensates for the inevitable ‘failure’ on the way to successfully adopting a new habit.
For example, over the last two months, I’ve already been starting & stopping, trying, failing and getting back up (literally) to become an early riser.
For the past week or so, I’ve found a way to persist, consistently.
It’s nothing short of incredible that I got up at 5am even on Saturday and Sunday.
The first minute (or two) after my alarm goes off is the critical point.
So I have been practicing this during the day.
Additionally, and probably most importantly, I have a specific reason to initially get up.
It’s my good-feeling solitude time.
After writing, it leaves time for stretching and walking barefoot in the park with the dog.
These and anything else, for example Wing Chun or meditation, are just options.
I could set resolutions for all of them.
That would definitely set me up for impending failure though.
No, not too much, too soon – just one thing.
And why is it an un-resolution?
Most likely – like everyone – I will probably miss a day at some point.
Just being honest.
If I do, I’m not going to just throw in the towel.
This is because I didn’t start on January 1st.
Whether you have set a resolution, un-resolution, quasi-resolution, multi-resolution, turbo-resolution or any other rest-olution — Happy New Day!
