A New Year, a New Theme: How to Create Habits Instead of Resolutions
Every year, before the year is over and the new one is about to begin, I take some time to sense what I feel is the right word to describe the upcoming year of my life. It's just one word, a guiding word, or 'key' word. I believe having a keyword that guides you throughout the year helps you create habits instead of a list of goals/resolutions. I believe it's these habits that then help you reach the things that are truly important to you.
Let's look at an example. Some of you might have a goal that is fairly close to something like this,
"Go on more adventures"
"Travel more"
"Fulfill your Wanderlust (or whatever word you want to use)"
etc..
You may have even listed some specific adventures you want to go on in 2018: visit New York, go to Bali, surf in Tofino, etc.
By listing out specific adventures as goals/resolutions, I think you can run the risk of actually limiting yourself.
You might have a kick-ass extensive list of dope adventures you want to go on, BUT...
You're probably missing out on a world of possibility for new adventures you didn't know about or haven't thought of yet. You're also probably going to feel majorly disappointed when you finally look back on the year and see that you didn't do those exact adventures you listed out at the beginning of 2018. Why didn't you make time to go to Bali? Guess you're still a stick-in-the-mud, unadventurous failure! Try again in 2019.
Instead of listing out your adventure goals, think about if your general theme for 2018 was "Adventure".
This theme would help guide you in choosing new adventures or adventurous options you wouldn't have thought about before. This theme might guide you into more situations that take you out of your normal old comfort zone, it might help you make a career shift that scared you before, it might help you put yourself out there more with friends and meeting new people, it might help you participate in things you would typically avoid before.
By letting a word or theme guide you, you open yourself up to creating new habits that lead to a successful year.
If your theme for 2018 is "Adventure," it's time to start thinking about what sort of habits will help you add more "Adventure" in your life. Some new habits you might create could be:
Putting aside a small percentage from every paycheque for last-minute excursions or trips
Saying yes to weird things your friends invite you too when you'd usually say no
Walking into new restaurants
Talking to more strangers (be safe!)
Checking out neighborhoods you don't usually roam
And so on
Oh, your friends are going to Tofino last minute!? You bet you can afford to come!
I know now it's starting to look like a list of goals or resolutions. The main difference is that this method creates a list of habits that point you towards the things you find value in, such as having an adventurous life.
For me, for this year, the word I want to have as my over-arching guide is "Relentless."
Google's first definition of relentless is: oppressively constant; incessant.
Synonyms for relentless are: persistent, continuing, constant, continual, continuous, nonstop, never-ending, interminable, incessant, unceasing, endless, unending, and unremitting.
I know it doesn't sound like a fun guiding word, but for me, it's extremely important.
I know what I want to do this year. I want to continue to learn how to deal with anxiety for my sake and the people around me, I want to continue growing in physical, spiritual, and mental health, and I want to create at a far higher level than I've ever done before.
To see these things happen in my life, I know that each of these areas will take daily, weekly and monthly habits. For instance, lowering my anxiety or increasing my ability to healthily handle it takes daily persistence. It's not a one-and-done. Becoming a better writer requires a lot of writing, a LOT of writing. Becoming fit requires healthy choices daily and continued physical activity even when I don't feel like it.
Thankfully, I've come to a place where I know exactly what I need to do to see more creativity and wellness in my life. Sadly, it remains hard to continually do what I know I need to do!
Enter the word "Relentless". I am proclaiming it as my word for 2018! In everything I do, I want to come at it relentlessly. With this word guiding me, I am creating new habits that will help ensure I'm consistently doing what I know I need to be doing to have a successful year. If I miss a day, fine, I'll forgive myself and pick it back up the next day and so on, until I get it right. I have the resources and knowledge to make these things happen in my life. I can't give up because I missed a day and I don't want to backslide just because I "don't feel like it".
So no matter what it is I'm doing, if it's eating healthy, going to the gym, writing, meditating, being thankful, I want to do it incessantly for all of 2018.
I'd challenge you to think about what keyword you would want to use to describe your life in 2018. You might have multiple words throughout the year, but currently, what is truly important to you?
From there, think of what habits you would need to form in order to create that in your life.
Love A.