Ah, the turning of the page into the New Year. We begin with a metaphorical clean slate, make plans, and resolve to accomplish a fresh set of goals. Many of us set out with huge intentions to lose the weight, drop the bad habit, and pick up better ones. Of course, for many of us, we've set these grand intentions only to find that by February 1st, we are back to *mostly* being the same person doing the same things we've always done. So, what happens over the course of those first few weeks that cause us to fall back into our familiar patterns? Inevitably, we are left with a feeling that we can't really change. But, what if we focus on being better TODAY?

Now, I'm not saying that we shouldn't make our New Year's Resolutions. It really does make a difference when we take the simple step of writing out our goals. Read more about how those in the field of neuroscience have discovered this here. It's important to take a bird's eye view of our lives and make long-term plans of how we want them to change. However, I have found it's the little daily changes we make that add up to the big ones--the small, consistent things we do--every. single. day.

Like many of us, becoming more fit is an ongoing challenge for me. I can't even fathom the number of times I've set a goal of losing weight or exercising for an hour a day, only to find that because I'm focusing on such a large goal, I become overwhelmed in the busy schedule of daily life and feel unable to make that happen. Another resolution may be to read everyday or make time to be with loved ones. Whatever the goal may be, what does help me begin to see real-life changes? It is always the decision to focus on doing better today--in this moment, and then the next one...and so on.

It can seem in the tiny moments of our lives that squeezing in a ten-minute walk or choosing a healthier lunch option TODAY won't make a big difference in the grand scheme of our goals. However, if you walk the walk and order the lighter lunch today, and then again at dinner, and then again tomorrow--it will. Consistency will win the day. Win the day, you win the week...and so on.

This applies to any goal you seek to achieve. So, set the awesome New Year's Resolutions with gusto. Then, take one more moment and plan your tomorrow. When you fall down, don't panic and give up. Just get up and do the next thing better. I have found this extremely liberating, because when we fail in one moment, as we inevitably will, we don't see that as failing long-term, because we can choose to do better in the next moment. And so on... ;)

Resolve in the New Year to do better TODAY. That's what I'm going to do, too.

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