First things first: you're NOT doing 2017 wrong.
It's as simple as the fact that habits take time--real, REAL time. Once the clock strikes 12 on Jan 1, a switch does not mystically come on for the perfectly curated morning routine or masterful month of recipes, nor does chronic stress just flitter away like fairy dust. And truthfully, it doesn't need to work that way!
We like to think about it like this: if your life is a masterpiece(it is), and you're Michelangelo (you could be) painting the Sistine Chapel, are you going to whip it together in one day, feel satisfied, and walk away without any urgency for improvement?
Not even.
Instead, the satisfaction would flourish from slowly and intentionally, adding and streamlining your art until it fully reflects your point of view. You'd change brushes, you'd take coffee breaks, you'd arrive back to the work and have fresh eyes.
What does this elaborate metaphor exactly have to do with your resolve to work out for 2 hours, 5 days a week and only crave kale Monday through Sunday?
More than likely, our affinity for impatience overrides our best laid plans to make grand changes for our life beyond this calendar year. That's why we love the ~incremental resolution~. It's a dip-your-toe-in approach to the wild, radical, cannonball-esque goals you make for yourself.
In the wellness space, there are plenty of small, sustainable habits that we love to incorporate (one at a time!). Maybe you choose one to hone in on for 30 days, or perhaps you're into making a pyramid of healthful choices, stacking one on the next as the weeks progress. The goal here is not to do it all haphazardly and let overwhelm creep over, but to enhance your days with tiny tweaks toward your ultimate goals, whatever they may be.
- Pour a capful of Apple Cider Vinegar into a mug of lemon water to kickstart digestion, reduce bloat, support your GI tract and alkalize your bod
- Every hour you sit at your desk, hunched over and making $$$, stand up and stretch tall, take 5 deep breaths, and refill a glass of water-- you'll be hydrated, reduce eye strain, and ensure you're not subjected to desk-sitting disease
- Plump up skin, heal your gut, reduce sugar cravings and amp your energy by making weekly batches of bone broth (coveted recipe here, come and get it!)
- Begin a meditation practice with an app--Headspace only commits you to 10 minutes!-- and pick the same time everyday (lunch break, perhaps?) to lower your cortisol and rewire neuroplasticity to manifest your dreams (honest!)
- Each time one of your conventional, toxic products runs out, resolve to make the swap for a deliciously healing, effective and small-batch beauty product that will further propel your health goals-- for further proof, read here.
By setting benchmarks to master your marathon-sized goals, there is a greater opportunity to critically "feel out" the habit and know if it's serving you or not. From there, you can grow and create a life where feeling amazing is default.
pic via here
