A new year has arrived!
Along with a new year often comes chatter of big goals, the desire for significant change, and resolutions. We start our year with high levels of motivation and confidence. As soon as things don’t happen as fast as we want or life happens and throw our plans and goals for a loop, it is easy to fall off track and throw in the towel.
What if we started small?
What if we didn’t aim for big change all at once?
What if we made several small changes over time?
What if this included introducing taking NEW habits rather than jumping right to eliminating the old?
Something I learned over 2022 was the impact that consistent, small changes can have over time! Small changes, small goals, or small habits over the course of the year can lead to big change over time. Save yourself the burnout, shame, and pressure to meet big goals so quickly. Appreciate the small milestones and introduction of new, healthy habits that will compound over time and lead to sustainable and consistent transformation!
The first step in starting your journey for the year, is to decide on the focus. From there you can break down small habits that you can address monthly. I say, pick one habit a month. The more you practice it, the more it will become like second nature to you. Adding another habit to the mix after 30 days won’t seem so daunting because you won’t be thinking twice about the habit you introduced the month prior.
If you are struggling to brainstorm 12 habits for the year, start with 6. You can always address the final six habits as you experience change with the first six.
Here is a list of 12 habits to assist you in creating your personal list of 12.
- Drink ___ water every day.
- Put my cell phone down 30 minutes before bed. Do not pick my cell phone up for 30 minutes after I wake up.
- 20 minutes of movement every day.
- Take a multi-vitamin & probiotic daily.
- Go to bed a certain time every night.
- Journal before bed or when you wake up.
- Declutter a space in your home every week.
- Eat dinner at home _ nights a week.
- Take lunch to work every day.
- Do 10-15 minutes of stretching/yoga before bed.
- Make a healthy product swap.
Ideas for kids:
- Eat a fruit/vegetable every day.
- Practice daily gratitude.
- Make bed.
- Help with a task around the house daily.
- Read 20-30 minutes daily.
- Say something kind to sibling or parent daily.
- Go to bed by a certain time.
- Play with or walk the dog daily.
- Limit screen time to _____ each day.
- Family walks.
- Ask others about their day daily.
- Journal at the end of the day.
Remember, these are just ideas to get your wheels turning! You know yourself and the outcomes you desire. Again, all 12 may not come to you now. Be sure to check in with yourself from time to time! Grab yourself a habit tracker to help yourself stay accountable.
You’ve got this! Happy New Year!
We have all heard of a gratitude journal. If you are like me, you have started one and loved it but then somehow life creeps up on you and the journal falls to the wayside. Somehow that habit that was so good for our mindset and that we enjoyed so much has fallen through the cracks and we hesitate to jump back in.
The truth is, a journal is not necessary to sit in gratitude. I am not saying that gratitude journals aren't great, because they are. However, I want this to be a simple practice that my kids can understand and implement on their own for a healthy mindset. I want something that can encourage positive conversation and reflection over meals or while riding in the car.
To get in the habit of being mindful and practicing gratitude simply, I created a simple print out that I can keep on the fridge, at my desk or in the bedrooms to remind us of questions we can be asking ourselves to reflect at the beginning and at the end of the day.
In fact, it is so simple, that you probably won't have to glance at it after a few run throughs. You may even add your own reflection questions to the mix! My hope is that this becomes a simple habit for our minds when we wake up and when we end our day.
I hope the printable below helps to stir up some reflective conversations in your family!
