New Year, New You... Again?

When I was younger, I looked forward to New Year's every year. I loved the idea of a new beginning; a fresh start. Every December, I would go over everything that I wanted to change in the new year. I would plan my New Year's resolutions and write them all out. I would plan everything that I wanted to change about myself. Everything that I wanted to learn, how I wanted to get back in the gym, the hobbies that I wanted to start. Every year, my life was going to change for the better on Jan 1st!

Does that sound familiar to anyone else? How many of us put things off until the new year to make the changes that we want in our lives? We have all seen the gyms packed to the brim the first couple weeks, as well as friends and coworkers telling us all about their new diet. How many times have you seen someone you know, or even yourself, stuff their face with every food in sight during the holidays while saying with a straight face that their diet starts on the 1st?

Several years ago, I came across something that forever changed my New Year's Resolutions. At this point, I cannot even remember if I read it or heard it in a class or even where I came across this little tid bit. Despite that, it has stuck with me. The basic summary of it was "Don't wait for New Year's to make a change; Start today." I had never even considered starting a goal before New Year's.

But no matter what, that little nugget stuck with me. Start today. So, on a random Tuesday, I started going to the gym to begin a new workout routine. And the craziest thing happened. I stuck with it longer than my usual New Year's Resolution time frame. So I tried again with a new diet I wanted to try. And again it worked. I felt like I had uncovered some amazing secret. I DIDN'T HAVE TO WAIT TO START A RESOLUTION! I didn't have to wait for the new year, I didn't even have to wait for a Monday to start something new. I just made a plan and started.

It was so freeing to just decide that I wanted to try something new and do it. I didn't have to try to wait for the "perfect time" to start. I could just start whenever I felt like it. This may not sound like a big deal to those of you that have known about this for awhile, but for me, it was a huge breakthrough.

I still love the all the possibilities and fresh starts of the new year, but I no longer wait for it to make a change in my life. Now, if I want to start something, a new hobby, new workout routine, meal plan, etc., I just start. I hope that you all will do the same. Don't wait for the perfect time to start doing things in your life. Start today and you'll be amazed at how much you get done!