More Than a New Year's Resolution

Have you ever seen someone else's success and think “if only I could … (fill in the blank)”? I have news for you. You can.

Did you scoff? If you did, I found your first hurdle.

It is time to appropriately value yourself.

Do not diminish your value or worth to make the people around you more comfortable. If you are in a relationship, romantic or otherwise, where you are made to feel inadequate, it is time to remove yourself.

Friend, you are worth more. You are worth taking the time to set yourself up for success instead of setting yourself up for barely scraping by not intimidating the people around you.

This is the year you stop letting other folks' limiting beliefs limit you. You are worthy because you are. There is no qualifier required because there is inherent value in simply existing.

You are worth the work.

If you have ever tried to set up a budget, and your friends ridicule you – dump them and set that budget up.

If your early morning run was mocked – find a new group and lace up those sneakers!

Put that work in and improve your situation. You and your (future) family deserve better than the bare minimum. You deserve better than mediocre health, mountains of debt, and a job you hate. Maybe you cannot afford to leave your job right now, maybe you feel lucky to even have a job right now, but that is today , it does not have to be forever.

Struggling with debt? Decide to pay it off. It could take months; it could take years. Either way, it is worth the freedom from the sleepless nights.

Overweight? Stop making excuses, make the change.

Identify the areas in your life you want to improve, where you struggle and want to thrive and commit to making the change.

Write it down.

Make a list, not of the things you hate about yourself, but about the things you are committed to improving. What goals and dreams do you have? Write it down!

Write down your small goals, your stretch goals, your shoot for the moon goals, the dreams you tell your friends, the dreams you are afraid are too big – write them all down!

Be patient.

If you feel overwhelmed, remember that you did not get where you are overnight. Did it take you 18 years of child rearing before you finally had time to address the extra weight? Have you been clinging to your credit cards as a lifeline for years? You will not be free in a matter of weeks. Do it anyway.

If you've been thinking “something's gotta give” – this is your sign.

Start today.

I have found that anytime I say I will start tomorrow or next week or on the 1st of the month, etc., what that really means is that I will not be starting. I break that promise to myself almost every time because the procrastinator in me gets the best of me. Do it right now, because lying to yourself about starting tomorrow only sets you back even further mentally.

Delete that shopping app, cut up that credit card, throw away those cookies, pull your yoga mat out of storage today . Make the first actionable step today, and then by tomorrow you will already be on a roll.

You are not infallible.

I caution you to not allow someone toxic in your life to blame everything – shortcomings, bad luck, etc. – on you. On the flip side, you are not perfect. Up to this day, you have made mistakes. After today, you will continue to make mistakes. Your failures do not make you a failure, and every day is an opportunity to improve. Every mistake can be made into a lesson learned if you could find the humility to look at them in this light. Admitting your weaknesses, and admitting faults is a sign of maturity and growth.

Listen friend, own your mistakes. Be tough on yourself because you can be better.

People respect you so much more when you own up to your actions – especially if it is also accompanied with a sincere apology as needed. Own your shortcomings and commit to improving. Do not dwell on these shortcomings – just admit they exist, and you can work on them!

Do it for you.

If you chase someone else's dream, you will eventually find that your passion isn't there. Think of every coming-of-age movie ever (No, dad, this is your dream!) and you know exactly what I am talking about. Chase your own dreams, find your own why. Maybe you want financial freedom so you can stay home with your family. Maybe you want to be more reliable so you can heal a family relationship. Maybe you want to build a business so you can teach your kids how to build independence. Maybe you have a few pounds to shed to walk down the aisle with confidence. It does not matter what your why is, just so long as you have one that motivates you.

Create a vision board.

“Motivation gets you started; discipline keeps you going.”

You will not be motivated every day. Creating a board with photos of what you want to achieve and the reasons you want to make it and placing it in a conspicuous place can keep you going when you want to quit. Write down your goals, review them every day to remind yourself of where you are going and why. Find what lights that fire under your ass and go get it!

Ready, go!

Today is the day, right now is the time. You can chase a life where you live your dreams. It will not happen overnight, but if it sets your heart on fire it is worth chasing!

Today is the day you look in the mirror and start being proud of yourself. Today is the day you decide your flaws do not define you, and positive change is within your grasp.