2022: Re-designing New Year’s Resolutions - The 5-Minute Edition
Even though each of us has had a very different 2021 experience, a lot of people approach the beginnings of every new year very similarly: by setting goals / new year’s resolutions. With all the emotional baggage and expectations attached. The goals usually seem hard to tackle, but we feel empowered by the symbolic new year. New beginning, new you. However, it mostly doesn’t pan out that great in the end, does it?
»I’ll only be happy, when I’m <insert here>.«
I haven’t heard a lot of tales on how someone achieved/changed/stopped something by making it a new year’s resolution. I don’t think there’s a lot of success stories to discover there. And that’s completelly normal. We picture the goal and how we’ll feel when we get there, but quickly give up when we realize we need to get there first. The process seems unbearing! And it feels demoralizing when the results don’t arrive as fast as we want to feel better about ourselves. I’ll only be happy, when I’m <insert here>. Pretty sure 2022 isn’t bringing any magical over-night transformations for anyone though.
»365 days amount to something«
So maybe this year, try asking yourself what kind of a person you’d like to be more of, as the next year ends. And then, work towards that for 5 minutes each day. If you’d like to loose weight, you need to be someone that takes time to take care of their body. 5 minutes of work every day will get you there. If you’d like to feel less stressed, you need to be someone that is less reactive and more mindful. 5 minutes of practice every day will get you there, too. 365 days of work amounts to something. It also instills more kindness and self-compassion.
»No one starts with good motivation«
By repeating, we essentially train, but we also establish new patterns. We get better and build new habits. Some days, those 5 minutes might feel stupid or hard, but they very soon add up to finding motivation. A silent, inner confidence and focus emerge as we continue to show up each day. No one starts with good motivation and discipline - they come after we start doing something and continue to show up. If you put loose change into your piggy bank each day, that eventually amounts to something, right? So what’s stopping you from investing 5 minutes a day into 2022?