It’s January, and by now, you’ve probably thrown in the towel on your New Year’s resolutions. And by “towel,” I mean the literal towel you were supposed to take to the gym every day but are now using as a dish towel because you have so many dishes to do because of the constant eating.
I get it. I’m right there with you.
I know I’m generally a Debbie Downer (Angry Agnes?) in this column, but with this New Year, I’d like to try and help you actually reach a goal. Here’s how you do it: aim low.
“Oh, okay,” you might say. “That makes sense. Instead of saying I’ll work out at the gym every day, I’ll say I’ll work out at the gym more.”
No. You’re not understanding me. I said “aim low.”
“Fine,” you say. “I’ll work out at the gym a couple times this year.”
Goddammit. What did I say?
“I’ll think about working out at the gym, but instead sit in the parking lot and watch Search Party on my phone while eating a cheesy Quesarito from Taco Bell?”
Bingo. Small, realistic, and achievable goals are the key to starting to feel good about yourself. And the only way to know for sure that they’re achievable is to make a goal to do the shitty thing you’ve been doing all along. Once you reach that goal, you can set another one that’s adjacent to that one without moving the needle so much that it signals your brain or body to go into fight or flight mode because change is a-comin’.