Take a Mulligan!

You diligently set your New Year's Resolution(s).  It's a new year coming up and you have BIG plans.  But... as it seems to happen every year, life gets in the way, the plans seem a little too big, a little too much to plan into your day and you quickly spiral into a feeling of overwhelm.  The resolutions get shelved, you feel like a quitter and start wondering if the whole new year will treat you the same.  You start looking forward to next January when you feel you will have the opportunity to 'start fresh'!

Sound familiar?  I have been hearing some version of the above this week from clients who have found that the month has slipped by without them managing to push their resolutions ahead.  Their solution of course is to abandon them entirely.  Instead... take a Mulligan and start again.  In my world it's called a Do-Over!

What did you learn this month about the goals you set?  Were they too large and impractical right out of the gate?  Then make them smaller.  Smaller steps will lead to successes and move you forward.  It might take a little longer but it gets you there just the same.  Certainly if your current option is to abandon your goals until 'next year'... all those small steps taken cumulatively over the remaining year will have you significantly further ahead than simply abandoning the goal altogether.  Don't under-estimate the motivational power of even small steps forward.  As you begin to see progress you might just find bigger steps easier to take.  Often just starting is the hardest part.  If setting smaller goals up front gets you over the fear of starting something new then build that into the plan!

So.  It's a New Month.  Begin again.  Learn from last month and apply it to this month.  Try 'Different'.  If this plan isn't working for you then break it down smaller, take a Do-Over and begin again.  Don't wait for a New Year, a New Month, or even a New Week!

It's not quitting to start over.  But not beginning is.