New Year, New Article!

This article started out as a re-boot of an article from 2018, but I have updated it so much, it deserves a new posting!

Happy 2025! My sons say 2025 is a made up number, that it doesn’t sound real. It’s real now!

I started to write this article a few different ways this morning, and I realized I was stumbling over the perception of “normal”.  I said to a friend last weekend that I am grateful that the breakneck pace of the holidays is winding down. That the last 4 or 5 or 6 weeks had been busier than typical weeks, what with travel and holidays and cooking and gift shopping and wrapping, etc., and that it would be good to take a breath and slow down.

And then, after a moment of consideration, I realized it has been longer than 6 weeks since I have seen “normal”. I have to share here, things haven’t really been normal for me since mid October.  I had diverticulitis in October and then a strong reaction to the Flu Shot, and those knocked me off my “normal” for a solid month, and THEN it was the holidays, etc.

The good news today, for me and you, though, is two fold. 

First, As the pace slows down to a more breathable and sustainable pace, you and I have more space and opportunity to add back in the habits that we know support us.  For me, my habits, when they are consistent, support me to be healthy, calm and energized. They support me to be there for and with my family, to be productive, to help me help my community here in Evergreen Park and beyond and all of you.

And the other piece of good news is that we already know what to do.

This time of year, it would be easy to say, “Know what? Change is hard.”   Saying it out loud, though, I immediately realized that I was wrong.  No, change isn’t hard.

Sometimes, change is extremely easy.  For example, as recently as last month, I was exercising daily and making healthy food choices.  And … then… the holidays happened.  And it got cold. And rainy. Which makes it difficult to take a daily walk.  And there is still holiday food and cookies in the house.  So, changing from healthy eating and exercising to… well … less healthy eating and not exercising was really easy!

While it’s easy to believe the self-defeating statement “Change is Hard”, and therefore unlikely to happen or be successful, that is all it is – a self-defeating statement lacking truth.  We convince ourselves that “Change is Hard”, and then we set ourselves up to fail by:

• setting unrealistic goals or expectations;
• starting a new journey without a map or plan;
• setting the bar too high;
• pursuing goals that are not right for us right now;
• not asking for help; or
• expecting big change overnight.

Back to the good news, though: We now have space and opportunity to do the right things.

And for the New Year, just getting back to what you are supposed to be doing can be a big step in the right direction.

The best part? You have already figured all of this out at least once. You have thought through the process and decided what your positive choices are.  And you’re right!

You have examined yourself and your life. You have identified areas for positive improvement, and you have determined some steps that might help you get there.

Is it health related? Nutrition related? Relationship related? Productivity? Hobbies? It is a good choice to establish and also RE-establish these habits.

Start with just getting back on track, whatever that looks like to you.  Let’s leave the bad holiday habits behind. For me, it’s time to:

• Get to bed on time;
• Clear that kitchen counter, and put the snacks out of sight;
• Take that January list I always recommend making, and add action dates to it;
• Unsubscribe from advertising emails;
• Work back in working out; and
• Re-boot my morning meditation / routine / reading hours, etc.

And from my Facebook community:

• Ignoring the answers to my question from my brother and his friends, they like to have fun at my expense.
• For reals: my friends plan to add back in:
  • Lap swims, getting in the pool every day
  • Biking
  • An earlier bedtime
  • One hour a day for me – nails, hair, walk – just for me
  • Morning meditation
  • Spending time with and better supporting my spouse
  • Getting out of bed everyday at the same time. Waking up is consistent, getting up is inconsistent.
  • Nightly skin-care routine
• (I know such amazing people)

As we look at habits and routines, we need to cut ourselves some slack, too, and remember that this loosening of habits and then reassessing and returning to them is a normal part of their life cycle. 

We can reassess and determine if the habit was good and we just fell away with implementation, or if we need to actually rethink or tweak the habit. This is that opportunity. 

I am so happy for us!  Know why?  WE KNOW HOW TO DO THIS!  We know what to do.

We know what healthy habits are, and how to re-establish them.

We know how to be productive, we just need to get back to it!

We know how to be good to ourselves, so let’s be good!

This year, let’s start the year with returning to what we know.  How about we review our good habits that may have gotten a little lax over the last few months?  Let’s start the year strong, with realistic expectations to build a strong foundation, and then climb from there!