This is your gentle reminder to just go for it. Just do it. Take that leap of faith.
Start the project you’ve been putting off for a long time, commit to a fitness plan, study routine, or mental health goal you’ve thought about but haven’t put any action behind it.
One of the most important laws in Physics, Newton’s First Law of Motion tells us that:
“Every body persists in its state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line unless it is compelled to change that state by force impressed on it.”
Without that push or the force, whether it be sheer willpower or some external entity acting on you, change in any direction is not going to happen. Yet, by the time February rolls around, the hard set goals we had going on seem to crack, snap and fizzle out into half-assed commitments and eventual nonexistence.
BUT, this is not going to happen to you. No, my friend, this is going to be YOUR YEAR to get that bread, work on yourself physically or mentally, and continually grow on a daily basis. And what I believe to be the most important way to do this is to change your mindset. Here are some overall themes that I hope to be more aware of as the new year begins and hopefully they will inspire you in some way to create your own.
- Being gentle.
2020 was a harsh year for all of us. Globally we were all affected somehow. In times like these, it’s good to take those breaks rather than keep pushing forward. Utilize the Pomodoro method and work for a bit and then take some time off away from electronics. This not only applies to ourselves but extending that same compassion and gentleness to those around us is crucial right now.
2. Letting go of the negative self-talk.
Our minds subconsciously listen to what we tell it, and even if we try not to believe it, when we repeat something so often (such as negative views of ourselves) it becomes something we can’t hide anymore and manifests negatively in our personal image and how we go about our daily lives.
3. Making it consistent (no matter how small)
And a pretty big emphasis on the “no matter how small” part. Doing 10 squats while brushing your teeth instead of a full hour-long HIIT session still counts as squeezing in a workout, as long as I did it. We face thousands upon thousands of decisions on a daily basis. To be honest, that successful person you’ve admired from afar did not suddenly get where they are in a day. It probably took months and years of small decisions everyday, continued persistence, and habits that got them to where they are. You need to control these tiny decisions that build up over time and increase your success rate.
4. Breaking down the goals
Break it down into small tasks, do it daily, making habits. Slowly, over time these habits paint the bigger picture. Even if you are undisciplined, you can start out small, making teeny tiny adjustments to your daily routine, tweak it around a bit, big ambitious goals that you’ve been putting off, you can start now. For example, reading 10 books by the end of the year. Somehow you want to
5. Being the main character
You are the only person who is writing your story. Every person is capable of achieving more and doing more than they think they can. I truly believe that the limitations lie with your own mindset. Instead of being a spectator and someone on the sidelines to your decisions become the main player of your life and play your game the way you want it to be played.
I like to see goal-setting as a sort of snowball effect, on a not too steep hill. It needs that initial push to get started, but once you do start and stick with it, it’ll continually build up over time until you’ve reached that end goal. As 2020 comes to a close, why not take that leap of faith into the new year to achieve your big goals and become a better version of yourself than yesterday. What do you have to lose?
The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot. — Michael Altshuler
