I am not a fan of New Year’s resolutions. They always seem so vague yet so huge! Motivation runs high after the weeks of holiday celebrations. Everyone feels the hope and excitement of a new year, a blank slate, to create something (or someone) else. Promises are made in the mirror to lose weight, take up running, give up smoking or stop drinking soda.
Then reality hits. The alarm goes off to hit the gym (newly purchased membership!) and you hit snooze. You go back to work and grab the diet Coke to fuel you through the afternoon. You’re running late to pick up the kids after skipping lunch to run errands so pizza sounds like the perfect solution to the pending dinner problem. Resolutions become distant dreams to be conquered again next week or next year.
Your problem isn’t motivation. It’s aiming too high. It’s deciding to scale Mount Everest before you’ve even hiked a mile.
Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going. – Jim Ryun
Today is also known as Commitment Day. Instead of the usual resolutions I want you to make a commitment today to just ONE CHANGE. I want you to pick one single habit you want to change. I want you to commit to one action that you can take daily to bring you closer to your goal. You can still have those big picture goals of losing a weight or running a marathon but I want you to commit to a single behavior not focus on the outcome.
- Want to lose weight?
Commit to logging your food daily, strength training 3 times a week or drinking 64 oz of water per day. - Want to run a marathon (or half or 5K)?
Walk first if you’re not active. Commit to just five or ten minutes today. Then commit to doing it every day. If you’re walking, commit to adding a run interval or two for 30 seconds at a time. - Need to quit smoking?
Commit to getting help. Schedule a doctor’s appointment. Find and register for a local smoking cessation class. - Need to break a sugar addiction?
Commitment to just one sweet treat (which includes soda!) a day or a week. If you can’t have a little without want to a lot then commit to a short time without sugar. Give it up for one week or one month to break the craving cycle.
Now WRITE it down. Even if you never look at the commitment you made to yourself again, the simple of act of putting pen to paper will help cement that comment. Make the comment stronger by visiting it daily and keeping that piece of paper someplace you will see it on a regular basis. Make it even stronger by making it public. Declare it on Facebook or HERE! Give me your commitment in the comments!
