Oh, the New Year. Resolution time, when everyone has high hopes for a ‘whole new you.’
But where did these bad habits come from in the first place? And what happened to last year’s set of high expectations?
The path to big successes is forged one step at a time. Every moment we have the choice to do or not, to commit or let go, to follow-through or blow it off. Our busy daily lives, full of noise and clutter and distractions, make it easy for us to forget the importance of these moment-by-moment choices. It’s intimidating to think of how the small, mundane decisions add up. It’s comfortable to let ourselves get buried in a routine, even if the routine is stressful or sad.
The enemy of progress is fear. It’s not always a nightmare that wakes you out of a sound sleep or a powerful feeling of dread. Most of the time it’s that little voice that talks you out of acting or gives you permission to slack off. Fear breeds excuses. We let ourselves off the hook, and we lower our expectations.
The rapid-fire ADHD mind can become your own worst enemy. It’s like an excuse machine. It will throw distractions in your way right and left. It will dangle tantalizing alternatives in front of you, making you wonder why you cared so much about change in the first place. Don’t forget that this compulsion to resist change, to stay the same, to be lazy, comes out of fear. We fear new things. We fear failure. We fear what will happen when our dreams come true, as counter-intuitive as it sounds. We are fickle beings.
This time, demand more from yourself. Expect a lot, and exceed those expectations. Create a resolve in your heart that is excuse-proof, and let yourself be blown away by the strength of your own willpower.
