New Year New Beginnings

      So I'm still sort of in shock that here we sit in the fifth day of 2012. I never        

 quite imagined that number nor what it'd be like. In some aspects I think I    

 would've imagined a lot of what it's like now. But I've never really imagined what  

 any future year would be like, so who knows.  

     This year I didn't rush for resolutions or have yet to make anything concrete. I want a different start on this year. My life is amidst quite a transitional point and I want to approach it slightly different than in the past. I don't want to make empty promises to myself or set myself up for failure.    

    With that said I have an idea of what I am going to aim for in 2012. I of course am still striving to be healthier. I know that I want to strive to begin a few new good habits and hopefully break a few bad ones. I have a couple huge resolutions in mind as well.    

     From past experiences, getting to know myself, as well as finding on various self help sites across the web, I have found some strategies that if I follow them I 

have some great success.  I decided to share a few.

    No habit is made over night and no habit is broken over night. It can take between twenty-one and thirty days to form or break a habit.  So there's the reason so many of my past resolutions fail. I get impatient and discouraged when I feel nothings concrete within a few days. To ward off this feeling I decided to find some inspiring quotes for patience as well as the statement no habit is made over night and thus no habit is broken over night. This way I can remember that I'm getting there.

    Another thing I have started to incorporate in my life is small progress is still progress. Live in the moment and appreciate the things going on around you. Know that if normally you smoke a cigarette as soon as you wake but didn't today, it's progress. It's something to be happy about and bolster your will power with that tidbit of knowledge. Each moment of everyday, good or bad, we have to deal with and thus should make the best of. You don't have to brag about the little things. But if you go from lunch to dinner without noshing on a doughnut make a mental note of it. It's a small step in the right direction and every step counts.

    Writing down things really is effective. Write your goals, dates for progress, how you do along the way, tips, things that throw you off, people who support you. It lets you see something concrete along the way. It holds you accountable and allows you to see the whole picture more clearly in my opinion. You can look back at patterns or factors that make you take a look at what made you not workout or got you behind and running late. For some things you have to look at the big picture and for me jotting all this down helps me do just that. 

   Talk to those who love and support you. Let them know your plans and how you would like them to support your changes/choices. This applies for losing weight, breaking bad habits, creating new habits, organizing your schedule, anything really. When you change something about your regular routine, it doesn't just affect you. It alters things for all those close to you. sure it may be in small ways but it helps to have everyone your close to on board and informed. 

   One last big thing I have to really remind myself to do. Don't beat yourself up when you slip up. For most of our natural born lives we are our own worst critic and that sets us up to fail more than not. Instead of giving ourselves an internal lashing we need to say "Hey. It's just one slip up. I don't have to let it define the rest of my days." Look at why we slipped up and work on improving that. Move on to the next day leaving yesterday precisely that- yesterday.