It’s only 22 days into the new year, and I’m already failing at my habits. This happens to most people who set up New Year’s resolutions and start trying to execute them. Where I often fail is that missing any number of days will cause me to challenge the point of making the habit.
So far, I’m tracking four habits:
- Doing 425 active / 500 total calories on the Elliptical
- Writing somewhere public (sharing instead of consuming)
- Reading for at least 10 minutes (not on a computer)
- Practicing the Banjo
I started before the end of the year but haven’t recorded every day in my chart. I have made the Elliptical goal daily, but the rest often get missed. Sometimes just one of them, sometimes all of them. In the twenty-three days I have marked, I have hit all four goals only six times.
In the past, if I saw numbers like this, I would give up on my other habits and say they were done with because I was failing at achieving them. That’s not what I’m doing this year.
Many years ago, while doing a long drive, I listened to the audible version of 10 Percent Happier. To loosely quote what he says about meditation:
When a thought enters your brain and disrupts your meditation, forgive yourself and refocus.
The key word in that sentence for me is “forgive.” It would be best if you learned to forgive yourself for not being perfect always. This is VERY challenging for me. I get mad at myself for not finishing a habit for not completing it.
This year, I will practice forgiveness for missing a day and move on to the next. I will think about what I can do today to improve, not dwelling on how I failed yesterday.
So, if you set yourself up for a habit, and it is 22 days into the new year, you are already missing it. Forgive yourself, and do better today or tomorrow!