"Hey!
I'm not giving up today
There's nothing getting in my way
And if you knock knock me over
I will get back up again, oh
If something goes a little wrong
Well you can go ahead and bring it on
'Cause if you knock knock me over, I will get back up again
Whoa oh oh oh oh, get back up again, whoa oh oh oh oh oh"
January 1st seems like such a clean marker to start or stop doing something. The new year brings with it new possibilities of better days ahead. Out with the old and in with the new!
January 1st is but one of 365 days in the year though. What's stopping us from using January 4th as a day of new beginnings? Or May 4th? Or August 20th?
When we put January 1st on a pedestal, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves, and we set ourselves up for disappointment.
I read an article in Forbes recently that said 80% of all New Year's Resolutions fail by the beginning of February. That's a lot of disappointment! That means 80% of us are feeling bad about ourselves between January 1st and February 1st. 80% of us think of ourselves as failures in the first month of the year!
The odds are against us to stick with a New Year's Resolution for the entire year. It's unreasonable when you think about it.
If you haven't worked out for three years, can you really expect the rather arbitrary turning of the calendar to be all you need to suddenly start working out 7-days a week? No!
Making resolutions, or simply committing to self-improvement is admirable. We should all be looking for ways to get better every day in as many areas as possible. And we're not failures if we're unable to go 365 days in a row doing (or not doing) something!
We're probably going to fall down. Making positive changes includes lots of barriers and stumbling blocks. The important thing is whether we get back up again.
You only made it three days in a row working out to start the new year before missing a day? So what?! Congratulations on doing something good for yourself. Today is a new day and a new opportunity for a brand new commitment!
You only made it one week without eating junk food? So what?! Congratulations of making good choices for a whole week! Each meal is a new opportunity to make healthy choices!
All wagon rides are bumpy, right? Falling off the wagon is simply part of the bumpy ride. We're probably going to fall off at some point. But every time we get back on, we bring with us new information about what works and what doesn't work.
Every day is January 1st when it comes to resolutions. We have to make a new commitment each day. Very few things that are good for us become second nature. We must choose to do them. We must commit to addressing them. We must make them a priority. We must do this every single day. And some days are going to be harder than others!
I'm reminded of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer decides he's not going to talk anymore. He messes up a few times and then says, "Starting...
When you mess up/fall off/skip a day, take a page out of Kramer's book. Start over right there with a simple, "Starting NOW!"
Have a great day!
Coach Chris
There are moments every day where we feel stuck, or unmotivated, or overwhelmed. These are the moments where we need a reminder why we’re doing the thing that is leading to these negative emotions.
There are also moments every day where we feel alive, or motivated, or energetic. These are the moments where we need a reminder why we’re doing the thing that is leading to these positive emotions.
We lose our way when we lose our why. If you find yourself in a moment of frustration with a task or activity today, ask yourself why you are doing it. Maybe your why is because it’s leading toward your ideal future of being physically fit, or toward having a great relationship with your kids when they become adults, or toward completing a project that will lead to a sense of accomplishment.
We lose our way when we lose our why. If you find yourself in a moment of bliss today, ask yourself why you are feeling that way. Maybe your why is because you had a good breakfast, or you got a good night’s sleep, or you are doing something you love. Discovering the why is discovering the clues and the inputs that you can use to create more bliss in your life!
We lose our way when we lose our why. Get curious about yourself and your life today. That small, three-letter word can make a big impact!
Have a great day!
Coach Chris
You hear the reminder every time you fly. “Should there be a sudden change in cabin pressure, oxygen masks will drop from the compartment above you. Be sure to put your own oxygen mask on before assisting others.”
There are two reasons this message is delivered. The first is because we simply can’t help ourselves. We see someone struggling and our good-intentioned instincts take over. It hurts us more to see someone else suffer than to suffer ourselves.
The second reason is that we literally can’t help someone else breathe if we can’t breathe ourselves. In this potentially extreme situation on an airplane, if we were to pass out, this would make a bad situation even worse because we would add another layer to the problem.
How do we put the “oxygen masks” on ourselves first in real life? We need to realize that taking care of ourselves is not selfish. In fact, making sure we’re at our best is a selfless act. We are better able to help those around us who are struggling and suffering if we have high levels of energy and patience. We can increase our levels by doing the little things for ourselves that we know are good for us: exercising, reading, decompressing, being alone for a few minutes…
When we sacrifice our needs for the sake of helping others, we are actually doing them a disservice, because we aren’t helping them to the best of our ability. Let’s remember that today when we feel selfish about doing something good for ourselves.
Have a great day!
Coach Chris
