The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones. ~Confucius

The beginning of a new year brings with it feelings of renewal, change and possibility.  Coming from the intense and busy times of the holidays in December, January offers an opportunity to reset priorities, expectations, career goals and health goals.

But how do you do this in a way that feels hopeful and leads to success?  Most people have experienced years of failed New Years resolutions which leads them to either shy away from making further resolutions at all, or they start even more determined to make this the year they’re successful.  But this approach can lead to quick burn out, frustration and hopelessness.

Remember our previous blog?  Life is not a sprint, it’s a marathon!

If you start out the year too fast and too intensely, with unrealistic goals, then you won’t be able to sustain this for the long term.  In a marathon, as in life, there may be times along the way where you run fast, with more more intensity, and then other times when you have to fall back into a pace that you can sustain and focus on your goals.  Both of these time periods are ok.  It’s important to acknowledge both as being part of the human experience.

Then, when you get to the place in your marathon where it’s time to slow your pace down, it’s important to use a mindful and non-judgmental approach.  Pay attention to your self-talk and try to reframe the language. Here are some examples of this:

Instead of: “I’m fat and need to lose weight.”

Consider a non-judgemental reframe: “I have great memories from the holidays and enjoyed my time with friends and family.  Now my body is telling me that it’s ready for more movement and more nutritious options to nourish it.  And as a result, I will feel better overall- in my emotions, my mental clarity and my energy levels.”

Instead of: “New Year’s Resolution”

Consider a reframe:  A shift, a refocusing, a prioritizing or returning to healthier habits.

And then, instead of setting big lofty goals, start with 1 small change.  Choose something that you know you can do on a daily basis.  Try that out for a week and pay attention to how that change is impacting your emotions, your health and your confidence.  If you see improvements in those things, you will be more motivated to continue.  After a few weeks of having integrated this change into your life, you will be closer to that change being a new part of your regular routine.  At that point, you can decide if it would be beneficial to make another small change to add to that one.

If you like this concept, you may be interested to read the book, “The Slight Edge” by Jeff Olson.  In his book, Olson explains the ripple effect of making small changes on a consistent, regular basis, which builds up to larger changes. 

So, if you’re looking to move a mountain…begin by carrying the small stones.

And if you think that therapy would be a beneficial “small change” to make in your life this new year, know that the therapists at A Balanced Approach would be happy to help you get started 😊