Beat Quit Day by Turning Your Resolution Into A Habit

We're entering the period of January when people are most likely to quit on the goals and resolutions they set for the New Year. Strava, the popular fitness app maker, calls January 19th "Quitters Day."

Don't give up. Instead, change your perspective. As I wrote on this day in 2023:

Change from the resolution mindset to a habit-building one. If you're trying to do something this year, take it in small increments, make a plan you can realistically follow, celebrate your wins, and give yourself grace when you miss the workout or don't write in your journal like you wanted. It happens, don't let that be an excuse for giving up on something important.

Another thought I shared in the latest issue of my newsletter:

Think of a resolution as a wish. It’s a nice thought, a dream you’d like to have come true, but without action, there’s often little more than a random chance that it will happen.

If your resolution was to go to the gym two times a week but you’ve only made it there a few times, that’s okay. Don’t stop going to the gym because you didn’t live up to a resolution that was based more on hope than what you could actually do.

Instead, Build a new habit, go to the gym once a week. Reevaluate at the beginning of the next quarter and see if you want to change that. See if you CAN change that. build the habit based on what you can do, not based on what you thought you should do because of all those “new year, new you” advertisements that clutter your screens.

I’m full of grace for the last few weeks. I haven’t published anything, although I have done some writing that I'll be sharing soon. My kids have needed more of me, and I’m always here for them. I appreciate your patience, too.