Happy New Year!

"Who says it has to be the New Year to start a new year?" - The Rocket Summer

       I have decided that this month is going to be a power month. It is going to be the beginning of a new year for me, complete with resolutions. It is time for a change. 

       We always hear these strange statistics like, "It takes you 3 months to get in shape but only 3 weeks to get out of shape again" or "It takes 45 days to develop a habit but only 1 day to break it". I don't know how much I buy into internet statistics, but as a teacher I do spend a lot of my time studying the science of behavior. What makes us tick? Why do we do the things we do? Lately I've been thinking about a similar question: why don't I do things that I know I should do? What is holding me back from committing to the most simple of life-changing tasks?

       For example, we all know we should eat right. We know fast food is bad for us, soda is toxic, that we need to eat for veggies, etc. If this is such common knowledge, and it is in fact true, why do so many of us still eat at Taco Bell? Why do we chug Dr. Pepper like it's going out of style? Are we really just slaves to our basest natures? Why can't we simply avoid that which is harmful? Another example is exercise. We all know we are supposed to exercise. It's a no-brainer. Yet I know when I see people at the gym or people running down the street I can't help but think, "They're crazy. Don't they have anything better to do?" I am baffled by people who do exercise regularly even though it is an obviously important habit to develop. So why am I and so many others like me aware of what we should be doing but stuck in a lazy, apathetic rut? Are we doomed to a life governed by "the natural man"?

       The first step is genuinely wanting to change. The second step is taking some time to meditate, get to know ourselves, and really consider what we want and why we want it. When we have that figured out, I think the ultimate key lies in daily goal management. For me, when I think about eating healthy and exercising, it is such a change to my lifestyle that it overwhelms me. I can't fathom being any different than I already am - it stresses me out. I can't just wake up tomorrow and change the last 27 years of my life. I want to be better, but I am incapable of making such drastic changes. I want to pray regularly, to read more books, to spend less time on social media. But how do I reach these goals? One day at a time. 

       Anyone can do anything for a day. It's easy to say "alright, on Monday I'm not going to eat any sugar". Done. One day. No problem. It starts getting difficult when we say "alright, I'm never going to eat sugar again". Whoa, buddy. Calm down overachiever! Let's not get crazy! The secret to our success lies in the goals we set for ourselves on a daily basis. If I want to be a black belt, which I do, I'm not going to wake up tomorrow thinking, "I'm going to be a black belt today". Not possible. I will practice a little bit each day as I progress through the belt rankings, thereby becoming a black belt through daily determination. It really is such a simple concept when we think of it that way, yet so many of us fail to see the importance of becoming rather than simply achieving. 

       My taekwondo instructor told us before our last belt test that we were not testing to become orange belts; rather we had become orange belts over the course of the past few months as we trained and learned and mastered. The test was merely a congratulatory formality. We were becoming daily what we wanted to be. So it goes with any goal. If I want to run a marathon, then each day I need to do the things that will help me become a marathon runner. If I want to be an excellent mother, then each day I need to do small and simple things that will help me get there. If I just set a goal to run a marathon, if will never happen. It's all about the day-to-day.

       This month, I am focusing on becoming better, one day at a time. I have made a list of little things to work on, like paying down my debt on a weekly basis, and getting at least 7 hours of sleep every night. I know I won't be perfect, but if I can be perfect at one thing every day and continue to build on my little victories, I know that one day I will be the person I want to be. I get tired of pinning stuff on Pinterest but never following through -- don't you? It's time to stop pinning and start doing.