Resolutions Don’t Have to Wait for the New Year, Start Today!

As the year wraps up, the New Year resolution pins and posts are going to ramp up. Our screens and sound waves will be inundated with challenges and gadgets claiming to help us conquer them. We all tend to like firsts – the first of the month, the first of the year. They mark the beginning and seem like the perfect time to get a fresh start on our goals. But there is no perfect time. Resolutions don’t have to wait for the new year, start today!

According to U.S. News, 80% of people give up on their New Year resolutions by the second week in February.

So waiting for the perfect time to signify a fresh start doesn’t mean anything and the date itself doesn’t get you anywhere. What matters is your conviction, how committed you are to achieve the desired goal. 

So resolve to start today. Start now, no matter how small. Here’s why…

1. There is no time like the present.

Don’t let time pass by hoping to get things done, actually take steps to get them done. If it means that much then you should be spending your time now either doing it or setting yourself up to do it. None of us are promised tomorrow so we should spend our time today actively pursuing our dreams. 

2. You get immediate traction and that traction builds momentum.

Even if you are taking tiny steps, those tiny steps are better than no steps at all. Consider starting now and then set another goal date to ramp things up. If the holiday season is going to be a big expense, you don’t have to put off financial goals until after the holidays. Start with a small increase in your payment by $25 – $50, then set a plan to increase it significantly when you have recovered from your holiday spending.  

3. You are much more likely to succeed.

Since you would have spent time building your momentum and implementing necessary changes, you will be more likely to win the long game. Jumping in head first on January 1 will likely cause you to burn out. Think of how packed the gyms are at the top of the year, then the numbers start to drop. Those left standing are mostly those who had already been committed to their health and fitness the year prior. 

4. Waiting allows time and space for distractions.

Life always has distractions. You may have the best intentions to start something on the first of the month but then life throws you a fastpitch and you have to drop everything else you were holding in order to catch that ball. This further distracts you from getting started and sometimes you forget to start altogether. If you had just started right away, you would have already implemented changes and made some progress. You would be more likely to continue that progress even through life’s hiccups. 

5. Regret may get you if you don’t.

Think back to any goal you wanted to achieve but procrastinated. Most of the time you wish that you had started sooner, even if you had to start very small and it took longer. Don’t let months and years pass by leaving you with regret.

Resolutions don’t have to wait for the New Year so get started on that goal today, whatever it is. Even if you don’t have it all together, at least you are making progress toward the goal. An arbitrary date doesn’t make us successful. Our passion and determination to succeed do. 

What goals are you planning for the New Year? Are there any that you can get started on today?

With Intention,

Sean and Simone

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