So many of you have asked me "Where's the New Year's Blog?" Of course, one would expect, with REINVENTION being fundamental to New Year's Resolutions, that I would have a litany of tips, ideas, quotes and all the solutions so that there's no way you'll deviate come month two, right?
Well, sort of. Firstly, I just couldn't jump on the first week of New Year's Resolutions bandwagon and get lost in the sea of information that we all get bombarded with as we dare to believe that "this year will be different!" Truthfully, I was on vacation. It could have been the perfect time to sit quietly, staring out at the water and reflecting on our collective consciousness -- and the herculean effort of changing our world and reinventing ourselves again. But the 1st of the year just brings too much pressure with it and is so cliché! I just don't do cliché.
So like always, being the rebellious one that I am, I had to wait, and more importantly, indulge in my family vacation...not open the computer and (resolution #1) PRIORITIZE MYSELF! That meant no emails, no writing, no real heavy lifting...truly indulging in the quiet relaxation and fun with no keystrokes, no words and no profound(!) statements.
In a way, this would be my first tip for all of our New Year's Resolutions...aka New Year's Reinventions (or NYR's).
So here are a few NYR tips from me to get your started. If you've hit that mid-January slump already, take a deep breath and give yourself a break. Take one little step at a time and promise yourself, no guilt, only rewards for good behavior!
TAKE TIME OUT FOR YOURSELF!
This is the top priority in life if we want to get anything accomplished. If we stop, smell the roses, take stock of what we deserve, we're off to a great start.
ELIMINATE THE GUILT!
The same thoughts go through our heads every year. "Will I commit? Why bother? Can I do this? Do I really want to set myself up for failure and then confront the guilt I then feel for not going through with them?" Ahhh, forget it! How about a new approach this year? Decide that there will be no guilt! If you didn't do it today, do it tomorrow. Don't beat yourself up and downward spiral. Just do it tomorrow. That's it!
GO FOR IT!
Vernacular is everything and frankly, the day you start thinking of it, just start. Do one thing that is in line with that NYR. Break the old mold of waiting for Jan. 1st (or next week or next month) -- just GO FOR IT!
It might be deciding to NOT eat that piece of bread at dinner -- hey, you just started your diet by NOT eating it! You may not have put yourself on a full fledged "diet meal plan" but you'll see how empowering that decision is and it will motivate you to make the next one and stay with the plan. Try applying this mentality to a few other goals or your focused reinvention plan.
MAKE A LIST!
Put big crazy ideas and little things that you can do on your daily and weekly "To Do" list. Now pick a day in the next week (be specific with yourself -- Saturday at 9am!) Pull out your schedule and put one of the little things on it -- i.e. hang that picture, do 30 sit-ups, take those vitamins, bag up old books to donate, change that light bulb. Try not to write down "redecorate the room, clean out the garage" -- something of that magnitude is daunting so be specific about a detailed activity in that context. Ironically the "feng shui" impact of these activities will actually help with your reinvention and have a profound impact.
Now that you`ve done it, take stock of how you feel about checking that off your list and accomplishing something you wanted to do. Now on to something a little more important: your reinvention. Is it Health? Hobby? Career? Relationship? This is going to be fun!
FIND YOUR MENTOR!
The person you are closest to may not be the person who gets what you want to do when it comes to reinventing your life...remember, no matter how small the reinvention, that may be a threat to someone who is in your life every day, because a change for you means change for them. So although you should share and talk about this exciting process, it's time to find a mentor that is aligned with your goals.
If its career, find the person in the business you're interested in looking into. If its health, maybe a friend or expert you know can share with you how they deal with motivation, goal setting, hurdles, rewards. If it's a hobby, is there someone in your community that can inspire you and show you the way? Getting first hand inspiration and talking it through makes it more real for you and you'll love reinforcing your own interests so that you can act on them.
REWARD, REWARD, REWARD!
It's the little things that count. No matter how small the achievement, the baby steps toward any reinvention goal, OWN IT!! Pat yourself on the back, do something you feel honors that and take stock of the fact that you didn't ignore it, you listened to your inner voice, pushed yourself a little hard. Acknowledge that you did it. That's all. Simply be kind to yourself. Share it with a friend who will tell you how proud they are of you, have a piece of chocolate, kick your feet up and watch the game, buy something -- whatever works for you, GO FOT IT!!
I'd love to hear some of the NYR tips that have worked for you and what you have done that has made a difference to you.
I'm also looking for big reinvention stories for my book and website so if you or anyone you know is working on their reinvention please let me know on Twitter, kathiSR, #HappyReinventing; contact me through Facebook at Kathi Sharpe-Ross or check out my blog, www.StopIWantToGetOff.com.
Enjoy and Happy Reinventing!