Did you know that January 12th is Quitters Day? This isn’t the day people quit a bad habit, toxic relationship or dead-end job. January 12th, the research suggests, is the point at which most people have already given up on their New Year’s Resolutions.

Some people actually do run that marathon, write that book, gain financial independence, lose 40 pounds, or whatever.

But more often than not, most resolutions fall by the wayside by the end of January if not before.  If you’re like me, you feel like you’ve failed. Again. And it only confirms the doubts that you are incapable of making the changes you want to make.

There’s gotta be a better way to grow, make improvements and positive changes.

Define Success

What if success this year looked like becoming more of the kind of person you want to be? Whether you made huge progress or just a little, it’s still movement in the right direction. And that’s a win.

Be Realistic About Growth

Too often we set ourselves up for failure because we’re not realistic about the process of growth and change.

Growth takes time. It’s a process.  It doesn’t happen overnight.

Growth and transformation occur one little step, one little action, one intention at a time, often over a long period of time. If you aren’t the person you want to be, it’s because you haven’t practiced intention. This is true of you, and it’s true of me.  

Set Yourself Up For the Win

Every day we make choices. Choices to act, or not to act. As a result, we either move towards the things that matter to us, or we drift away from the things that matter. 

We either become more the person we want to be, or we become less of that person we hope to be. The truth is, drift usually leads us to less of who we want to be and what matters to us.

Here is what I have found to be more helpful than resolutions:

Decide what is important to you, what you hope to accomplish this year or who you would like to become more of. Keep it to a word or short phrase. For example, I want to be more…

Kind

Available to my family

At peace

Healthy

Productive

Or, Live more simply, etc

And then create an intention to be or do more of that.

For a simple example, let’s say you want to be healthier this year. As you go to the kitchen to look for a snack, remember your word Healthier when choosing between an apple or a cookie. The intention you create is to ask yourself Which choice will move me more in the direction that I desire?

Celebrate The Win

At the end of every day, week, month or even year, it’s possible to reflect back and ask yourself, “Did I become more the person I intended to be today?” If you really want to know, ask those around you!

And then every time you move in the right direction of what you want more of, no matter how big or small, celebrate the win!

Deuteronomy 30:19 says this:

Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses… Oh, that you would choose life…!

How About You?

You have a whole year ahead of you, which is a long time. What intention could you put in place that would result in growth by the end of the year? Also, I would love to hear what you hope for more of personally in this next year. Leave a comment!

Finally, here’s to you and to me becoming more of who we want to be this year and doing more of what matters.

Photo by Tijana Drndarski on Unsplash