A New Year! A New You?

Quote:

“Our habits will make us or break us.  We become what we repeatedly do.”

~Sean Covey

Scripture:

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap the harvest if we do not give up.

~Galatians 6:9

Perspective:

Happy New Year!  It’s that time of year when we have hope for a better year ahead, better than the one that just ended; no matter how good it was, people tend to always strive for more and better than whatever they had.  This New Year there was even more excitement and hope than usual because it is also a new decade, giving a greater feeling of a fresh start, a new you!  Resolutions can be heard and seen everywhere, gyms are more crowded, journals and self-help books are flying off the shelves, and I wouldn’t doubt that grocery stores see an increase in healthy food sales.  However, the statistics are bleak on the number of people who follow through and accomplish their resolutions: studies show that less than 25% of people stay committed through the first month (January 12^th is the day most people break them) and just 8% actually accomplish their goals.  I’m not trying to take the wind out of your sail, but it is clear we need more than hope to accomplish the “new” goals, or resolutions, we have set or reset for this new year.

Do you know what it is that determines whether your goals will be met or not?  Go ahead take a guess… 

It is your habits, those acquired behavior patterns that you regularly follow, often to the point of being involuntary.  Take a long, honest look at your daily routine and habits and THAT will tell you where you are currently headed.  No matter what you do for a day, 12 days, or even a month, it is what you consistently do overtime, for the long-haul, that will take you where you want to go, or not.  Setting a goal is a good start, but it is not what matters most, rather the habits that follow are the determining factor in where you will go, they are the vehicle that will drive you in any given direction.  If you are not headed in the direction of your goals, guess what needs to change?  What you do daily, your habits!

Our habits tend to naturally flow toward what makes us feel comfortable as opposed to meeting our goals or even doing the “right thing.”  For example, the C.D.C. has determined that only 23% of U.S. adults get the recommended 2-1/2 hours of moderate aerobic exercise each week and I would be willing to bet many of them do not like  exercise as much as they like the way they feel after they exercise.  Whether they like it or not, that 23% of U.S. adults have used self-discipline to make it a habit because it is the “right thing to do” for their health.  Take some time throughout your day and really think about WHY you are doing what you do.  Are you choosing and acting in the best interest of your future OR are you satisfying your need for comfort and satisfaction in the moment?

WHO are you?  WHO do you want to be?  How do you want people to describe you and to remember you someday?  Do you want to be a healthy person?  An honest person?  A person who is giving and generous to others?  A kind and thoughtful person?  A Godly person?  An ambitious person?  A reliable person?  Take time to make a list of “I am statements” about who you ultimately want to be.  Let WHO you want to be guide the choices you make each day and what you choose to do habitually, day after day.  Be persistent and know that all you do every day adds up over time, time that will pass no matter what you are doing.  Your choices and actions are forming your habits and those habits are taking you places, so make intentional choices!

One difference between good and bad habits is that good habits take time for us to see the positive results that then motivate us further, however bad habits tend to give us instant gratification and only show the negative results in time.  So, let who you want to be and what you want in life guide you today and then again tomorrow, NOT how you feel in the moment, feelings are temporary and deceptive.  Rise above your feelings and act based on what you know.  Remember, the little things we do mean a lot in the grand scheme of our life.  Do not take the choices you have in front of you all day, every day for granted; they may seem little, but they are powerful overtime!

Life Application:

Take the time and make the effort to examine your routine and habits for the next week.  Then take an honest look in what direction they are taking you.  Does that place match the destination of your goals?  If so, great!  If not, then make a new plan-what do you need to add and what do you need to subtract from your daily routine to get where you want to go?  Use self-discipline and persist for the long-haul.  When you look around at those who have succeeded, remind yourself that they stepped out of their comfort zone and did the hard work, consistently, to get there.  Pray for God’s guidance at the start of each day, for He is the strength in our weakness.