The collective sigh is reverberating across the country... The Holiday season is almost through. The stressful ones are over (unless you are hosting a New Year's Eve party, which I am not!) . I love this gelatinous week in between the 26th and the 2nd. There are still sugar and fat to be found in most homes. The work schedule is lax, or at least most of us pretend it is. Throw another log on the fire, put the kettle on for another cup of tea, or better yet how about some of that homemade Baileys? Lounging and general slothfulness is accepted. (In my house it is encouraged, unless you're a teenager, and that is the only gear you ever move in).
Then what? The mania begins for most of us. Lofty expectations of oneself begin to hail down. The clean fresh start of a New Year is already polluted with pressure. Week one's dogma is week three's apathy or despair.
I know, I do it too. Already my mind is poking my relaxing week in the ribs whispering curse words like, "cellulite - mucking out the house - paperwork" etc. "This year is going to be...blahblahblah"
I am going to remind myself again and again (It's like brushing my teeth, once isn't enough.)
Destruction happens in seconds. Creation takes time. When we decide to implement change, we want it NOW and we want lasting results. Think of any time in your life when there has been lasting change that happened immediately. I can think of the sudden death of loved ones, loss of a job, and cutting my hair off (no really, I mean ALL of it OFF!) that felt like it lasted forever.
Then I think of building businesses, relationships, or growing my hair back out. The headway that was made bit by bit day after day. Small, consistent, and less than spectacular. This is the kind of change that is actually sustainable. There is name or a method to this approach, "Kaizen".
Earlier this holiday season I noticed myself feeling lousy because I was eating more junk than my body is accustomed to. My intellect donned it's dictator mustache and declared, "That's it! Enough with the garbage gut! You are allowed nothing but water and kale, before you poison yourself and rot out your teeth."
My inner child FREAKED out, immediately seeking fudge and revenge. Thankfully a shower of sanity fell from the heavens, resulting in Kaizen: "If I eat a piece of fruit each day and 1 raw veggie, go ahead have the cookies!" whew. Amazing. The charge around the junk food was gone. I didn't even want the fudge anymore. (Yes I did have some the other day) My point being, this is manageable. I like fruit, especially with breakfast. I also enjoy snacking on carrots, celery, and peppers. For me this was so easy, I could not fail. Did I lose weight? nope. Did I gain weight? nope. Did I enjoy myself, food, drink, friends and family? YES!
As I move into the new year I will continue this practice, even when the cookies are gone. I like the habit I am creating, It feels good in my mind and body. I have not yet decided what my next Kaizen step will be this January, but I do know it's going to be easy, and I'm going to succeed!
This year I propose trying this approach. Experience a way of being softer, gentler, steady, gradual, thoughtful, and probably successful.
Pick one thing, and start there. Make it so easy you can not possibly fail.
Happy New Year!
