new year, now what?

Ok, so if you're like most people, you've already given up on your New Year's resolutions.

Strava, the social network for athletes, analyzed more than 31.5 million online global activities in January and as able to pinpoint the date when most people report giving up on their annual commitment to themselves. Guess what? It's right about now - Mid January.

Ugh. Now what? I guess losing the weight was not that important. I guess living with a cluttered home isn't that bad after all. I guess being more mindful and trying to meditate isn't really necessary after all. I mean, you've failed and that's it. Right?

Wrong!! January is just a date on the calendar. If you didn't start the month strong, there is absolutely no reason you can't pick your resolutions back up and end the month strong. With that in mind, let's look at some ways to regroup your mind and get you back focused on your goals.

Ignore the calendar

January is just too darn early to give up on your goals, so forget the date on the calendar and focus on your goals instead. If you've failed so far in January, then set the dates aside and just focus your mind on progress and the end game.

Start small

Begin with small successes. If decluttering your home is on your new years list, take a look at the habits that might be holding you back and look for small wins. Instead of trying to declutter your entire home in one weekend, look for making a small change like simply putting your things away when you are done using them. Make a contract with yourself that you will put your stuff away after you use it period. No ifs, ands or buts! You will find that by focusing on a small challenge you will show yourself that your mind truly does drive your actions. Then, as you see success, you can increase the degree of the challenge and maybe declutter that bedroom closet!

Be present

When you live in the present moment, rather than past or future moments, you'll be able to accomplish more because your mind and your body will work together on the tasks. When you give much of your brain power to rehashing old things or just wishfully thinking about future ones, you lose out on what you could be accomplishing now.

One way to increase your awareness in the present moment is to practice daily meditation. There are many wonderful apps to support you in this journey. My favorite are Calm and Headspace.

Track + celebrate wins

As you begin to take small steps toward your goals, celebrate those wins. Celebrating what you CAN and have accomplished will propel you in the direction of your goals.

I'm looking forward to continuing to move toward my own goals in 2020 no matter how ugly and windy the road might be. I'm hopeful you will join me in the journey of #progressoverperfection