Happy New Year!
It’s that time of year again. The holidays are over. The parties have stopped. The gifts have been unwrapped and put away. The baking implements are cleaned.
You are getting ready to get back into the swing of things. As in, the regular life you have been ignoring for the past month while you spent time with family and friends and got out of your consistent routine.
Sound familiar?
Don’t worry though! It’s all good! Surely, as soon as January rolls around, the new habits will be created. You will be disciplined in all aspects of your life . You will make up for all those “imperfections” you indulged in over the holidays. That’s what New Year’s resolutions are for, right?
WRONG!
While it’s great to take some time to focus on self-awareness and mindful rituals that support your mental and physical wellness, we want to re-examine the process of New Year’s resolutions and offer an alternative that lasts all year long.
Why New Year’s resolutions don’t work
This is not shocking news, right? Surely, you have heard that New Year’s resolutions are a feeble attempt to make your life somehow better than it was in December or make up for any “bad behaviors” that ensued over the recent past. In fact, according to the U.S. News & World Report, over 80% of resolutions fail by February.
Create good habits through consistent behavior over a long period of time. This requires motivation, an action plan, and taking proactive steps to make change.
It’s true! When you state a New Year’s resolution as an attempt to make up for some perceived past wrong-doing, you set yourself up for failure. Create good habits through consistent behavior over a long period of time. This requires motivation, an action plan, and taking proactive steps to make change.
The pressure of making a major change on January 1st is more of a deterrent to forming successful habits than a productive exercise. Think about all those people who start an exercise routine or join a gym on January 1st, only to stop completely before February is even over (there’s that 80%!).
Let’s talk about using daily positive affirmations to create positive change versus New Year’s resolutions.
What’s the difference between a resolution and an affirmation?
Resolution is defined as: a firm decision to do or not do something. Affirmations are defined as: the action or process of affirming something.
When you make a resolution you are making a decision. That’s a great first step. But in order to create permanent (or at least semi-permanent) change, you need to take ACTION. That’s where affirmations come into play.
Affirmations can be used in so many ways, but one of our favorites is using “I am” statements to create a mindset of change that allows you to move forward in action.
“I am a strong and powerful woman who can create the life of her dreams.”
Using this positive affirmation is the beginning to taking action to make your dreams come true. When you believe in what it is you want, you begin to see more opportunities to make it happen.
Tell yourself you are strong and powerful each day, and you will feel confident and ready to take on difficult projects, stand up for yourself at your job or combat the daily stress that happens in any family.
Why is January 1st so special?
The answer is simple: It’s NOT! January 1st is a day, just like any other day. In an of itself it is beautiful… just like every other day.
When you start to see January 1st as a day just like any other, you will see the beauty in all days and know how lucky you are to have this time, this moment.
Each day is special and unique because it is a NEW DAY.
Yes, January 1st marks the beginning of the Gregorian calendar year. For that reason, it seems momentous. But what about your birthday? Or your anniversary? Or the day you became a mama? Or any other special milestone day in your life?
The point is, each day is special and unique because it is a NEW DAY and you have every opportunity to make it the best day possible. Further, if that day sucks, the good news is that (HOPEFULLY!), you will have a new chance tomorrow to do it all over again… and make any change you desire.
Each day is a GREAT day to start with an affirmation. By starting with an affirmation, or intention, for your day, you will have a greater chance to achieve what it is you desire. Whether you want to be a better parent, be more successful at work, make more money, do a harder workout, make new friends….You can achieve all of these things using the power of positivity and affirmations.
You just have to take ACTION and consciously and consistently use affirmations each and every day to create the changes you desire.
In conclusion
As we are beginning a new year and a new decade, we know you are thinking of all the ways you can do better, be more successful, feel happier, etc.
We want to encourage you to go through each day of the year with this sort of mindfulness and self-awareness so you can create the habits that come with consistent rituals.
Use affirmations to start each day in the right mindset and know that whatever it is you want to achieve or change, you never have to wait for a particular day to get started. Start right now and make your life the best it can be!
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