Carpe Diem - Carpe Annum
What I love about autumn, besides pumpkin pie spice, is that we're on a real countdown to the end of the year. The holidays make the time absolutely fly by. Can you even believe it's already fall? I find this whoosh of time very inspiring.
I'd love to tell you about something I've started doing with a friend over the last few years that has given way to this inspiration: We take stock of what goals we have left this year, what we didn't do that we said we wanted to do, and we also ask ourselves the question: What can I not bear still to have on my list when I ring in the New Year? I truly am a proponent of positive motivation, but here's where you can really get the negative to work for you—What is on that list that you do not want to look at ever again??
You've got three months! How exciting!
I'm a fan of New Year's resolutions--I am. However, I am well aware that the New Year starts with a whole 365 days ahead of it, so it feels like "there's always tomorrow." And once we hit February and it's chilly outside, the days are pretty grey, and the sun goes down so early, it's easy to get off track and maybe even stay off track. That exciting resolution may now seem less exciting and more like chore.
What would it be like to have an eye toward how you want to start the year now?
What would it be like to have an eye toward how you want to start the year now? Instead of feeling like you're under the thumb of a brand-new habit, what if you start getting in shape...now? What if you tackle the clutter in the hallway closet now? What if you got help to stop smoking now? What if you got into that class now? Or got more sleep and took better care of yourself now?
What would it be like to be healthy on January 1 instead of signing up for a gym membership? Or start the new year with a decluttered space? Or having finished French I and ready for French II?
This can really work in your favor because there's a built-in sense of urgency. Your current year can end with a sense of accomplishment, and the new year can start with momentum. Whoosh!
Now, I know what it takes to change a habit or instate a new one. It takes motivation and inspiration, and when they wane (and they may), it takes commitment and support. In the best of worlds, we set ourselves up out of the gate with all those things if we want what we really say we want. We get the support (the therapist, the coach, the accountability partner) now and we lean on that support now, so that we and our new habit are on track for success. We map out the days if we need to and frame the next three months in a positive light.
In just three months, you could really be in the middle of something—or have finished something—you really want for yourself. What is something you'd either love to have off your to-do list or you'd love to involve yourself in? If you were instructing a child to go after this thing in the next three months, how would you advise them so that they could be successful? Can you take your own advice? What do you need to succeed?
Envision yourself on January 1 having done exactly what you set out to do. How do you feel?
Seize the day, seize the year!
If you’d like to work with me, please visit the Services/Contact page.
