With the start of each new year, many of us take an inventory of what we’ve accomplished in the past year, contemplate where we’d like to go this year, and then set some goals for ourselves. It’s a tradition that has been around for at least as long as I’ve been alive…
The problem is that, often, we start the year out really great, but by March we’ve gotten off track, and from then on we don’t even look at our goals again until December. But, is there a better way? Yes, I believe there is.
This year, set your goals, but make at least some of them into what Jack Canfield has labeled “Daily Disciplines.” Daily disciplines sounds serious, it’s a way to make new habits that will help us to stay on track. For instance, if one of your goals is to work out more, and maybe another goal is to keep the dishes from piling up in the sink, then make a new daily habit of getting up ten minutes earlier. Ten minutes is not that much – you can do that! Then, every day, you will have that ten treasured minutes to either wash the dishes in the sink, or choose a ten minute yoga routine, or do some push-ups, or… Just think of the possibilities! Ten minutes doesn’t seem like much, but it can make a big difference! I can tell you from personal experience that you’ll feel better when you see the dishes done or when you know that you’ve done at least ten minutes of exercise. Every new habit must start with small steps and these ten minutes are a great start.
Another good daily discipline is to save 3-5 minutes at the end of the day, right before bed, to check in with how your day went. Keep a notebook and pen by your bed stand and just before you go to bed write down something you did that was a genuine act of kindness, another accomplishment that you are proud of, something good that you did which helps you meet the goals you set for yourself, and two more items (5 total) that you are proud of, or that make you feel good about yourself. This will also put you in the right state of mind to get a better night’s sleep!
I also find that setting up a reward for yourself for having done your daily disciplines helps to keep the momentum going through the year. Some rewards that I have used include taking a long epsom salts bath at the end of a week where I kept my daily disciplines every day. Another is getting a massage or reflexology treatment, or something else I consider special, if I’ve kept my daily disciplines going for 60 days. Use your imagination and choose some rewards for yourself that will be enticing enough to keep you going!
In the meantime, here is a five minute series of exercises that gets the heart pumping and works muscles you didn’t know you had! Repeat twice for a ten minute routine!
Best of Health,
Kathi
