RESOLUTIONS // One day at a time

With the spirit of resolutions in the air, it is easy to start the first week of a new year totally overwhelmed. Regular work and routine still on the plate, everything that your 'resolving' to do has to be done now, plus your probably experiencing the post holiday let down. 

There will be plenty said on the internet about all of the above, and it's great to start the year off motivated to make change. It's the perfect time to start fresh, and become the new you.

But we all know that resolutions are often inherently flawed.

The problem with creating lasting change is perhaps not the inability to stick to it, but the lack of identification with that change. Do you want to eat healthier, but think of yourself as an unhealthy eater? Exercise more, but think you don't really like exercise? Focus more, but think of yourself as unfocused?

The list goes on with this kind of mental sabotage. 

It was only by coincidence that today we read something by the writer James Clear, whose book Atomic Habits seems like a good start to the 2019 reading list. 

In short, he says that in order to create change, you must identify with that change, and thus identity based habits are formed. You don't just want to run more, you want to be a runner. You don't just want to quit smoking, you want to be a non-smoker. I think we can all understand this concept, and the way he frames it makes it much easier to imagine sticking with it.

Why? Because what we are saying when we make a resolution is that we want to be a better version of ourselves. What we are doing by sticking with it is being that better person.

This clearly can't happen all at once, and it doesn't just start with the new day of a new year. It starts every day with all the little choices that we make. The result is cumulative.

His thoughts left us feeling inspired to BE THE CHANGE WE WISH TO SEE,  both in ourselves, in the way we do business, and what we put out into the world.

Cheers to a beautiful new year! 

xx