It’s that time of year… new beginnings and excitement about trying new things (or old things, for that matter). You’re pumped. You’re ready to tackle that thing you’ve been waiting all of last year to crush this year. Last year wasn’t the time, but you’re feeling fresh and ready to take on the world. New workout routine, new eating habits, new attitude, new job, new (you fill in the blank). It’s all so exciting and you feel like Rocky right before he races up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. (Go on, you know you want to watch it.)
….until about January 10th when you’re sore from the squats you tried, or just the word “vegetables” sounds like they were made in Hades and you’d rather eat your brand new tennis shoe you bought for your new workout resolution, or your kids have gotten on your nerves for the. last. time. and that new attitude went down the drain with the new recipe you tried that didn’t come out right. Maybe that new job you tried really wasn’t what you thought it was going to be and you’re questioning what the next step is and how to handle it all.
I want to be a better cook. I have always struggled with figuring out how to make things taste the right way. I’d go to friends’ houses and their kitchens were full of amazing, tasty food, and their homes with the smell of Heaven. My house smelled like McDonald’s Happy Meals and pizza. So, I decided to try to make homemade bread. How difficult could that possibly be? Proved to be pretty difficult when my husband couldn’t even finish the sliver he so carefully sliced to be as small as possible. Even that was too much, as was the amount of Italian seasoning I used… BUT! He encouraged me to keep trying because he would rather me try and fail than to always wonder what I could have done it if I kept trying. So far, he’s had some pretty interesting bread… and I’m still trying. I have successfully made ONE loaf of focaccia bread, which is his absolute favorite… so I will bask in that accomplishment, especially if it is my only bread-success story of the year.
Sometimes our minds get the best of us, and we feel like we just don’t have it in us to succeed. I’d encourage you to read this article by a fellow contributor that talks about 10 things you can do to help yourself feel better right away. Because maybe you feel like a failure when all of the excitement surrounding a New Year’s resolution is so quickly gone, and you find yourself in the middle (or beginning) of another year without having accomplished your goal. Can I just tell you something? It is incredible that you are trying and are thinking of ways to better yourself emotionally, physically, spiritually, etc.
Even if you haven’t worked out 11 of the 12 months of the new year, you worked out one more month than you did last year. Lace up those shoes and go for a walk around the block. Even if every new recipe you’ve tried this year tastes like feet, go get those ingredients and try again. Because what success in New Year’s resolutions really looks like is putting one foot in front of the other every single day. It may not be pretty… and you may miss a lot of days, or have blunders on the days you try… but keep going. Show up for yourself, but also remember to give yourself some grace. The bottom line is: New Year’s resolutions can be a great way to challenge yourself at the start of a new year, but do not use them as a marker of your perceived success or failure. You’re more than that.
