Momentous Resolutions

The time for New Year’s resolutions is here. On January 1st, millions of people wake up with a brand new list of goals, often termed as resolutions. The common tale is that many carry the momentum of turning the calendar into January and become healthier, more diligent or maybe quit a bad habit like smoking. The whole point is improving in some shape or form with the thought that “this is the year” or “this is the fresh start I need”.?

As January fades into February we see less and less people follow through with those recently planned resolutions. Many struggle to even create resolutions in the first place. Maybe they have them loosely defined, but not enough to turn a thought into a new habit, especially one that changes your life.?

In a matter of weeks or maybe even days, some of us will succumb to cold weather, busy lives and ultimately leave our resolutions behind. Bloomberg highlights the rise and fall of New Year's Fitness Resolutions in this article, explaining that it's only a matter of weeks until your resolutions fall to the side. This is my way of sharing how I’ll keep my resolutions top of mind and how I know that even if I lose a few battles along the way, I will win the war.?

Backstory of My Plan - How I Know I Can

All I can speak of is what I am doing. I am not an expert in habits, but I can recommend Atomic Habits by James Clear as a perfect book to gift yourself or others for the new year. Some of my learnings are from this tremendous tool of a book. Most likely everything else I have learned is from trial and error.?

During Thanksgiving break, I had a few extra days to reflect on what my New Year’s resolutions were. I jotted down everything from mental (like freelance writing and reading books), physical (like training for marathons and overall getting stronger) and spiritual goals (like teaching mindfulness and being outside more).?

After my list was completed, I was surprised to feel overwhelmed. It just felt like a whole lot of pressure to wake up January 1 and be this different and improved person. A similar thought crept through my mind that brought me back to October of 2021. If you want to change something about your life, why wait??

Once I identified speaking Spanish as a lifelong skill, it felt silly and equally difficult to think through when I would find time in my life to practice 5+ hours a week. To fully commit to the language. To immerse myself in the culture of the language. To grow friendships with people who speak that language as their native tongue.

While living in the states, I didn’t have the resources or the time to learn Spanish. I definitely had the excuses though, always finding Duolingo more like a chore and focusing on one of my other more timely errands. Instead of waiting, planning and delaying, I decided to act. I enrolled in classes and moved to San Miguel de Allende within months of that honest and thorough conversation with myself. The city, a few hours North of Mexico City, became my home for a half-a-year. Hour long classes every Tuesday and Wednesday at Instituto Allende. Classes extended beyond the school. Basketball, restaurants and travel all contributed in mammoth ways to my ability in speaking Spanish.?

Now, nearly a year later, I am proud to say that I am a Spanish speaker. Much to learn, but a new man compared to where I was prior to the move.?

My Plan - Using Momentum to Execute my Resolutions?

A few weeks back, when I first drafted this article (Nov 16th, 2022) I led a mindfulness session to about 8 friends. Midday through the session, I stated the day of the week, the date, the time and how many days left were in the 2022 calendar (approximately 45). Feedback post class showed that nearly everyone felt the impact of hearing that said out loud. Yes, we’re all subconsciously aware of the day of the week but rarely are we thinking of the small and big picture at the same time.?

This article is meant to elaborate on those initial feelings I felt and I truly believe that many of you feel as well. This urge to…improve. I’ve got all the pieces in place to grow and now it’s just about executing with grace, balance, eagerness and a combination of all the mindsets that go into the recipe of success.

So…why wait? If you have lofty new year's resolutions, don’t you think it’s a smart idea to start gaining momentum on those goals and that way you’re fully hitting your stride January 1st. In all honesty, I had intended to post this article in the first half of December, giving readers a chance to reflect on these words and start building towards their goals. Regardless of the date, the message stays the same…identify your goals, take the pressure off to be perfect right away and just try your best not to skip twice.?

Here’s what I’ve been focusing on since the back half of November and all of December. Of course, everyone is their own person, but I have a feeling that the healthy habits I’ll be looking to advance will have some level of overlap to anyone looking to grow in 2023.?

Resolution # 1 - Wake up earlier

It’s easy to write about this because it’s the number one thing I bully myself about. I frequently plan to go to bed early most nights and then find that it’s past midnight and I'm nowhere near ready to hit the hay. The honest conversation I had with myself identified that when I get an early night's sleep, mix that with a quality night of sleep and an early wake up, I’m dominant. I can do a morning workout, journal, have a peaceful morning and ultimately grow.?

The goal can be simplified to going to sleep before Midnight and leaving my bedroom the following morning before 7:15 AM.?

This has acted as a starting point, with increments of 15-30 minutes being added on a case by case basis. About one night a week I've been in bed around 10:00 PM with earlier wake ups in the 6:00 AM to 7:00 AM range. Those have been my favorite. Not because I am just waking up and getting right to work, but because I am out there in the real world starting my day with energy filled activities.?

At the time I first drafted this article, I did multiple morning jogs to Barton Springs Municipal Pool in Austin, Texas. I jumped into the freezing cold water around 8 AM, spending 15-20 minutes swimming, jumping off the diving board and the most important part, seeing other people doing the same thing.?

Waking up early and physically leaving the house allows your groggy mind to be inspired by the many people doing like-minded activities around you. Most of the time, in fact all of the time, there is something to learn from, for example, middle-aged man or woman swimming laps before 9 AM multiple times a week.?

Resolution # 2 - Define productive mornings (with a dash of spontaneity)

One of my larger issues when I create a? list of goals is that I use vagueness over specifiity. A list should not be rushed. A list does not need to be finalized in one sitting. Instead a list can act as a guide that’s tweaked as you find out what works and what does not work for you.?

As you work on your list/schedule/framework of a goal you can begin to define what you are really trying to accomplish… for me it’s a productive morning.?

My definition of a productive morning is simple: A glass of water, a clean room, a workout, a large breakfast and some activity that stimulates the mind other than work. Most likely my side activity will be writing, reading or photography. I’m trying to prioritize my writing, but ultimately whatever I’m feeling that day, I’ll have carved out the time to do so.?

After many weeks of trying and failing to consistently wake up early, I have found a groove that has worked well. 4x productive mornings, 2x spontaneous and 1x lazier

Productive morning: I’ve detailed it above, but really it’s making sure I am out of the house by 7:15 AM. Most likely a 6:30 or earlier wake up and some bonus points if I was in bed before 11 PM the night before. One of these productive mornings must come on a Saturday or Sunday, meaning I've prioritized my long term health over multiple nights out in a row.?

Spontaneous morning: A little more go with the flow. I’d like to be outside before I start work at 9 AM, but if I sleep until 7:30 or later, I think that’s perfectly ok as long as I am efficient when I wake up. Spontaneous does not mean sleep in. It can work the other way. If I am excited about the momentum i’ve built I can wake up early, and still have a dominant morning. It’s all about communicating how my mind and body feel.?

Lazier mornings: A quality night's sleep for me means more than 8 hours. Pair this with a late night and an open agenda for the day after and you have a great combination for a mental health day where you sleep in, don’t feel rushed and ideally plan a good sweat for the afternoon (bonus points if it’s at sunset).

Number 3 - Don’t be afraid of the cold, outdoor workouts galore

A common theme with my writings is hammering home the idea of being outside. I think it’s vastly overlooked by many of the 9-5ers that are crammed in an office all day. I said it to my friend the other day while we were on a run with the RAW running group in Austin, Texas. Every time we are inside and think about going outside on a cold, dreary day, we tend to not want to. However, when we’re outside later, sweating and working hard, we are in heaven. We’re proud of ourselves. We feel accomplished. We feel like we conquered something. Usually that something is our doubts. Or our laziness. Or conforming to others that boast how cozy they are in their pajamas. Don’t worry, I'll be cozy after a good sweat, hot shower and a late night snack.?

You’ll notice that numbers 1, 2 and 3 all overlap a great deal. There are many keys to success, but maximizing the number of hours a day/a week/ a month/ a year might be the easiest to digest. If I wake up at 6:00 AM 4-5 days a week, compared to someone who wakes up at 8:00 AM, that’s 8-10 more hours that I’m working on being the best version of myself.?

Those early hours are almost always dedicated to being outside. It’s where I think my best, feel my best and get inspired by others. I’ve also found tremendous success with sunset and evening workouts. The day can get away from me if I don’t have something planned, which is why RAW Running has been such a saving grace for me.?

On Tuesday nights I go to this running group in Austin, Texas. About 100 people show up at the Mean Eyed Cat Pub before a workout of 5-10 miles. We all return to the pub for a drink and some light networking. The whole thing lasts from about two hours from 7 to 9 PM. Working backwards, this helps me plan my Tuesday mornings and tied to that, my Monday night. On the flip, it helps me plan my Wednesday morning as I know that I won’t be running and potentially taking in less sleep if the night extends long like it did last Tuesday when there was a pub crawl run and I didn’t get home until 11 PM.?

This brings me to one of the words I use to describe myself - spontaneous. All of my plans are tentative and always open to adjustment. Early nights may turn into late nights and something that has given me a lot of power recently, late nights can turn into early nights. Spontaneity goes both ways.?

Number 4 - Journal it all- You’re making too many memories to not be capturing it in one of your favorite hobbies

Ok maybe not all of it will be journaled, but I will make stronger efforts at highlighting many of the following: New restaurants that stand out, people you meet along the way, honest conversations when you need to check-in and reflect, TRAVEL. It remains simple. I love to journal, however I find it hard to create time in my day to journal. That’s the excuse I need to nip in the butt if 2023 is going to be my year. The excuse that we don’t have time.?

I say this when I teach mindfulness, “there is nowhere else you need to be, there is nothing else you need to be doing.” Saying this out loud allows me to be present in this moment. It allows me to stop multitasking and put my all into whatever is in front of me. 100% of me holds infinitely more magic than split up into tiny little sectors of energy and attention.

If 2023 is truly going to be my year then my goals will be far greater than just goals, they will become my identity.??