Why does January 1st have to mean everything changes? What makes December 31st so different?
I decided 2021 is the year I’m going to lose weight. “2021 is finally the year when I get healthier and feel better about myself,” I said to myself as I lay scrolling on my phone in bed after hitting snooze on the alarm for the 3rd time.
Yes, it had just turned 2021 about a week or so ago, but no, I didn’t come to my decision because the calendar changed to January 1st. As I lay there half-awake scrolling, I saw an article headline titled “Forget Your New Year’s Resolution and Just Commit to Being Terrible at Something for 30 Days.”
The Key is to Just Start
I didn’t even have to click on the article to know what it meant: just start and don’t worry about being perfect.
It made me think about how new year’s resolutions aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. And honestly, they come with a lot of pressure. It’s like, on December 31st it’s totally fine for me to eat a whole tub of ice cream and sit on the couch all day, but on January 1st, if I so much as think about eating an M&M and I don’t work out for at least 30 minutes, I’m a horrible failure.
Apparently Cinderella’s fairy godmother is supposed to sprinkle me with fairy dust during the night on December 31st and poof! I live and breathe health and fitness. Uh… yeah right. Not gonna happen.
So as you can guess, like most people, new year’s resolutions don’t work for me. And what’s worse, after I don’t follow through, I usually go even further down the rabbit hole than where I was before my resolution!
I knew that this article headline was a sign to me. It was saying as plainly as possible to just start, no matter where I am, and commit to doing it for 30 days, even if I’m not good at whatever “it” is.
How I Started Conquering My Resolution
I know I’ve been wanting to lose the weight I gained after college for the last four years, but I always went with the “New Year’s Resolution” of being perfect at it. This time, I took a different path once the date changed from one plain ol’ day to the next.
I committed to being “bad” at losing weight for 30 days. All I had to do was try to lose weight, and really commit to giving it my all. So I joined Weight Watchers, and said to myself “If I really hate this, I only committed to it for 30 days. Plus I don’t have to be perfect at it.”
Immediately I felt a sigh of relief, like this unbearable amount of pressure I always feel around the new year was lifted off my shoulders.
What the New Year Has Brought Me So Far and What 2021 Can Mean for You
In a little over 8 weeks, I’ve lost 14 lbs. I haven’t been at this weight since over a year ago. And this time last year, I had just gained 10 more lbs after having a pressure-cooker-of-a-resolution to be at my goal weight within four to five months after it turned January 1st. So, would you call my first few months of 2021 “being bad at something?” I wouldn’t. Was I “bad” at first when it came to wanting to eat healthy? Yup. Was I “bad” at first when it came to exercising? Yeah, I think I took a walk maybe once in my first two weeks. But am I getting better? Hell yes. And am I producing the results I’m looking for? Hell yes to that one too.
I’m already at a point where I’m choosing to eat healthier because it makes me feel good. I’m choosing to go on walks almost every day, even if I can only fit one in for 10-15 minutes. I’m choosing to eat smaller portions. The list goes on.
The point is, pressure is not a bad thing. Unrealistic and unkind pressure is a bad thing. You have to be realistic with what you can achieve and by when, and be kind to yourself by giving yourself the space to be not so perfect at it for awhile, or even ever.
By being kind to myself and setting realistic expectations, I knew I wasn’t going to be into healthy eating and exercising right away. And I told myself that’s okay but to just give it my best shot anyway. I can’t imagine turning back now, and a new year’s resolution had nothing to do with any of my success.
I’d love to know what your “something” is that you want to commit to being bad at for 30 days, and how it goes! And as always until next time, xoxo.