Every year is the same. We ring it in with shallow promises of doing better and being better, and I’m sure there’s some unrealistic fitness goals set too, on a stomach full of holiday treats no less.
I typically start Jan. 1 feeling super tired but motivated and ready to go, but by the time February rolls around, most of that steam seems to have dissipated.
This year, though, I decided I’d try something else.
I didn’t set resolutions.
I set goals, mind you. I just opted not to refer to them as the dangerous and unforgiving R-word. Instead, I just called them what they are: goals.
Local life coach and registered social worker Tia Bell told the Western Wheel this week that it’s more important to set intentions versus resolutions.
More importantly, though, she said those intentions should be actionable by achievable and specific goals.
I’ve etched a few fairly specific goals down in my crisp new day planner and further broke them down into a narrower list of bite-size goals to keep me motivated.
But the one ghost from New Year’s I’ve left in the past is that pressure and fear of failure.
I think after the past two years, we need to be easier on ourselves. We need to be able to forgive ourselves when things go awry, especially because there is so little in our control these days as we move into the third year of a pandemic.
Instead, we need to focus on celebrating the wins and focus on moving forward.
After all, practice doesn’t make perfect. It makes progress and improvements.
