Have you given up on making New Year’s Resolutions. You may want to reconsider that position.
Resolve
Reblogged from Rest & Chaos
As we head into the New Year many of us will make resolutions. Some of us may make a resolution to eat better, to exercise more, or to go for a dream we have. We start off strong on January 1st. We are full of hope and our hearts race with excitement. Most of us who make resolutions really do want to change our lives. And we really believe we can.
That is a staggering number. A number that causes many people to just give up on even making resolutions at all. But is that the answer? To just give up? To accept failure as inevitable?
I don’t think so.
Many studies now show that it takes at least 66 days to establish a new habit. That means that if you give up by February 1st then you have given up at day 32. That isn’t even halfway. Your brain needs another 34 days to establish that habit. So sometimes we fail simply because we give up too early. Another reason I think we give up is because we doubt ourselves. We have failed before and so we think we will just fail again. We set ourselves up to fail by expecting it.
But what if we changed the way we viewed failure?
- What if we chose to see it as merely a stepping stone on the way to success?
- What if we chose to see it as an opportunity to learn and grow?
- What if we didn’t lose heart when we failed, but instead dug our heels in and resolved to keep going?
Maybe when we make our resolutions we need to mark a big “YOU DID IT!” sign on March 5th. And keep looking at that sign whenever we feel our resolve waning in order to give us the confidence to keep going. To keep fighting.
Or maybe we need to remind ourselves of what the word resolution means.
A resolution is a firm resolve to do or not do something. A firm resolve means we need to be determined, unyielding, solid, steady, and strong. A firm resolve means we need to be stubborn. Because when we resolve to do something it isn’t going to be easy. It isn’t going to be fun. It will be exhausting and tedious at times. It will require us to show up when we don’t feel like it. To keep going day after day.
To have a firm resolve means to choose to keep going no matter what.
To NEVER GIVE UP.
But in the end that is what greatness requires.
Greatness requires you to put in the hard work of climbing that mountain. And yet at the top it promises the most spectacular view.
Yes, it will be hard, but it will be worth it.
S0, go ahead. Make those resolutions. Make a firm resolve to keep those resolutions no matter what. And walk into the New Year with confidence.
YOU GOT THIS!
For more inspiration read my blog post titled “NEVER GIVE UP!”
Or read my guest blog post on Meraki Musings titled “Four Reasons to Not Fear Failure.”
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