Success is just a week away

Published 5:40 pm Wednesday, December 26, 2018

It’s that time of year again. As the Christmas cheer winds down and the new year approaches, thoughts turn to the idea of life changes for good.

Losing weight, exercising more, quitting smoking, finally taking up a hobby that’s been on the backburner for years, volunteering more, traveling more, spending more time with children or grandchildren — New Year’s resolutions are a varied as the people who make them.

Sticking to them, however, can be a challenge, and if that challenge isn’t met, often the New Year’s resolution-er gives up on the resolution for good, whether that’s during the second week of January or in July.

It’s a common scenario: a person who hasn’t exercised in years goes to the gym a few times the first week of January, then decides sore muscles without immediate, visible benefits aren’t worth the effort.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, there’s a growing movement to make small resolutions, not grand ones that might be more difficult to adhere to. Instead of making a declaration about an entire year’s-worth of behavior, make a declaration about a week’s-worth of behavior. Instead of floundering with a resolution and giving up, break that behavior down to a week by week basis. If you fall off the wagon, get back on it the next Monday. A new week is an opportunity to recommit to the goal set for the year.

The idea has a name — The Monday Campaigns — it’s designed to keep people on track with their goals and give them a little leeway. It’s about establishing mini-goals instead of becoming overwhelmed by a huge goal. Saying “I want to lose 20 pounds this year” is a lot more daunting than saying, “I want to lose 1 pound this week.” Looking at a scale, only to realize you’re still 18 pounds away from your goal is disheartening, where meeting that small goal of a single pound is a boost in positivity and inspire more successes, the next week and the following week.

Rather than make one giant resolution this year, consider making one every week. That’s 52 chances for success, rather than just the one. Odds are, success is a just