Remember, January 1st is Just Another Day

Yesterday a flyer from one of the big weight loss organisations came through my door. It did not rest for even a moment as it went directly from my letterbox to the recycling bin.

I admire the initiative of those that delivered it, taking full advantage of the calendar to try and drum up business. As with every year, many of us will resolve to lose weight and be healthier. I could certainly do with some of that. But picking a date on the calendar because it has been arbitrarily set as the start of a new year may not be the best way to ensure that you keep up the good work.

I absolutely support the principle of deciding to make changes in our lives. But I think that we must always remember that we can do so on any day. When we choose to make a change from 1st January, we are just putting extra pressure on ourselves driven by an external factor outside our control.

We can, and should, make changes when we resolve to do so, and we should start on them straight away. It does not matter what the calendar says at the time, beyond perhaps keeping track of when you made the change so you can see your progress later.

We should also not wait until we feel “ready”, or until the perfect time for the change comes along. Neither of these states exist in reality. There is always a reason to delay, and there is never a perfect time. Both of these have been factors in my continued need to take steps to be healthier!

What has worked for me in making changes in my life is reading about the power of making small changes and building habits. I can take no credit for these ideas, and there are many great resources that set out why and how these methods are so powerful.

For me, making a small change has a huge impact on my brain. It is taking that first step and overcoming the huge inertia I feel about starting any task. Once I am moving, it is so much easier to keep going and maintain that momentum.

Similarly, none of us ever feel ready to step out and risk failing. But that just leaves us stuck where we are forever. As an aspiring writer, I have read many times about the huge number of rejection letters that top authors received before achieving success. One of them even wallpapered their bathroom with them. If that is what it takes to be successful, the sooner we start collecting those rejections, the sooner we get to the first acceptance. We have to make mistakes to learn and make progress.

So what am I really telling myself and you as we approach the end of the year? We should not feel bound to make January 1st the day for changes. We can start to implement improvements and take steps towards our dream whenever we want, but ideally as soon as possible. Get ahead of the crowd and do something today, however small. Then repeat it, or even build on it, tomorrow.

And if we miss January 1st, or start something but do not keep it up, we do not need to wait until next year to try again. We can pick ourselves up and start building something big whenever we choose.

None of us know what the new year will bring. I think back to January 1st 2020, when none of us, I suspect, had any clue what was coming just a few weeks later. But whatever comes our way this year, we can make it a positive one for ourselves by taking action. We just do not need to be driven by the calendar to do so.