It’s been five weeks since New Year’s Day. How you doing so far? Have you lost some weight? Are you drinking less? Have you called your mom every week? Maybe you’ve run into some obstacles and are off track a little … or a lot. You know what? It doesn’t really matter. Whether you’re winning or losing the New Year’s Resolution game, the real predictor of success lies in your activity in the next sixty days. I accidently learned this lesson last year. Here’s what happened …
My 2016 Resolution was to get back into shape. It was that simple. I’ve always been healthy but had let myself go over the previous few years. I didn’t set a specific goal … I was simply going to be in shape by the end of the year – I know what that feels like. Well, two weeks into January and bam: I get a bronchial virus. Not a huge deal, but my travel schedule kept me from resting, and my mild cold turned into a four-week struggle. By Valentine’s Day, I was better, but in worse physical shape than I was at Christmas. I felt awful, but I took a step back and decided to pick up my pursuit, knowing that I might not make it back to my starting point until April. That was ok – I modified my track, and guess what? I felt pretty good at the end of the year. That first quarter setback hurt my progress, but I still did pretty well.
As I was moving through the summer months, I reflected on my activity in that first quarter with some pride. I also realized how little January means to the success of our annual goals. Everyone wakes up early in January; everyone passes on the desserts in January; and no one misses church. January is a wash – everyone is on their best behavior. February and March are the months that separate the men from the boys. By the time April rolls around, your new positive behavior has either become a habit, or it’s too late to start.
So, forget about my initial question. It really doesn’t matter how you’re doing so far. What really matters is what you’re going to do during these next sixty days. Spend an hour or two this weekend thinking about that, and plan to maintain or increase your work until your behavior rolls into April as a habit.
