We are midway through February and the shiny newness of 2019 has worn off, and many resolutioners have fallen into one of three camps of progress…
This was such a good idea!
Man, this is starting to get hard.
Oops, I will try again tomorrow…
If you had a goal for the new year, you know where you stand. If you didn’t, you may be cheering on friends and family members who are steadfast in maintaining their goals. Or maybe you’re indulging your inner malevolent character by noting those who have abandoned resolve with an inward smugness you dare not admit exists, even to yourself.
While the arrival of a new year is completely relative to the ending of the last, its significance is a strong metaphor for an opportunity to turn a new leaf – a season imbued with external and internal pressures to be more than previous versions of yourself, that existed just a few weeks ago.
People believe they can shed the skin of past lives and fully embrace the motto of “New Year, New Me” with ease – but many quickly find themselves backsliding into old habits. (Those die hard, remember?) Social marketers loves this trend, as they can capitalize on the boost of personal development optimism: “Look hotter!” “Be more successful!” “Kick ass!” The inundation of these ploys in the media are more intense in the beginning of the year, placing further pressure on our yearly resolve.
For those that fall in the camp of getting back on track tomorrow – even if the backslide is recognized – resolve to keep the “New Year, New Me” commitments are promised every day. Believing that it’s possible to make up for lost time, that you can “fake it until you make it,” while daydreaming about all the progress that you will make tomorrow. It isn’t until the the potential “summit” of success of a resolution is completely lost from sight that it’s realized how much time has been lost to thoughts of promises in place of action…
But is it a summit? Perhaps resolutions are a vast landscape of valleys and peaks, and it isn’t about conquering one monumental goal, but the journey of traveling along the natural terrain of progress in personal development.
With that mindset, it’s easier to keep the pessimism of potential failure at bay and help view setbacks as part of a learning experience. The most important aspect of achieving any goal is to keep moving forward and to “jump back on” your metaphorical wagon of keeping a promise to yourself.
It’s important then to not mistake grand resolutions as a fruitless effort. Partitioning a large goal into piecemeal parts, and taking each in stride, helps keep successes at regular intervals in the short term. Doing so shifts your focus is to many mini-goals rather than one imposing one at an unattainable distance. And in turn, having lots of small successes can help keep your attention on the next.
Rather than trying to flip your whole world or your personal identity upside down, aim to incorporate small changes incrementally – almost so slowly that the perception of change is not even acknowledged. It is easier to maintain these small changes than big ones, as missteps and backslides don’t sacrifice as much progress when they happen (as they always do, and that’s ok!) After enough time, you will be able to look back and truly see how much change you have made (but you have to start before that can happen).
No matter what camp you’re in – even if you aren’t sure – keep practicing your small changes, take each step in the right direction as a success, and each bit of failure as something to learn from. Life is not always “100”, but your perception of your own progress can help steer your goals in the right direction. If you’re going to be anything this year, be dedicated to celebrating all the small wins, and forgiving yourself if you don’t hit your mark. A new year is just relative, and it is never too late to keep moving forward.
Written by Elaine Cizma
Edited by S Tabarias
Noah Goetzel
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