Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 1: Today's tip is to update your New Year's resolutions. Take
Speaker 1: a moment in the middle of the year to see
Speaker 1: what is working and what is not and what could
Speaker 1: be better with changes. Doing this increases the chances that
Speaker 1: you achieve the goals you want to achieve. So I
Speaker 1: love New Year's resolutions. I know some people find them pointless,
Speaker 1: and I know that every February there are slews of
Speaker 1: articles about how people don't keep them. But I think
Speaker 1: that when they are approached in the right spirit, they
Speaker 1: can help shape life in a positive way. It's important
Speaker 1: that they be well thought through and realistic any to
Speaker 1: want to do them, and they need to be sustainable.
Speaker 1: Do all that, though, and you can make big things
Speaker 1: happen over time. For instance, this year, I decided to
Speaker 1: read through all the works of Shakespeare as a New
Speaker 1: Year's resolution. To make that happen, I found a calendar
Speaker 1: that other people had used, suggesting in order and dates
Speaker 1: in which to read each play or set of poems.
Speaker 1: The schedule only requires reading about three to four pages
Speaker 1: per day. In my illustrated Shakespeare. So that is quite doable,
Speaker 1: and so I do it every day. If I had
Speaker 1: resolved to read all the works of Shakespeare, but just
Speaker 1: picked up my book from time to time and read
Speaker 1: wherever and wildly different amounts each time, there is just
Speaker 1: no way I would stick with it. In any case,
Speaker 1: If you did make New Year's resolutions, now halfway through
Speaker 1: the year is a great time to check in on them.
Speaker 1: Hopefully some you remember quite well because they are informing
Speaker 1: your daily life, like my reading project. But if that
Speaker 1: is not the case, then go find the list you
Speaker 1: made somewhere ask yourself how it's all going. The point
Speaker 1: of this exercise is not self flagellation. It's curiosity. Presumably
Speaker 1: you are living your life in a way that makes
Speaker 1: sense for you right now. So if you have not
Speaker 1: done anything related to one of your resolutions, the most
Speaker 1: likely explanation is that it doesn't fit with your current life,
Speaker 1: or it simply is in a priority. That's good to know.
Speaker 1: Self knowledge is helpful. If you would like, feel free
Speaker 1: to let the resolution go entirely. It is not the
Speaker 1: right thing for you, not right now. But maybe some
Speaker 1: resolutions feel feasible or like you're making some progress us,
Speaker 1: if not as much as you'd planned. If that is
Speaker 1: the case, ask if you can update the resolution to
Speaker 1: make more sense. May be resolved to exercise every day.
Speaker 1: Maybe exercise in your mind means an hour long boot
Speaker 1: camp leaving you drenched and sweat afterwards. That has happened
Speaker 1: once a week or so over the last six months,
Speaker 1: and so you feel like you are not keeping your resolution.
Speaker 1: But there's actually no reason you have to feel that way.
Speaker 1: How about updating the resolution to simply mean you will
Speaker 1: move your body for ten minutes every day. A walk
Speaker 1: totally counts, and then you also plan to do a
Speaker 1: full formal workout once a week. That's your boot camp. Voila.
Speaker 1: Just like that, you are on track to make this
Speaker 1: unachievable goal. Or maybe resolved to cook at home more.
Speaker 1: That is a very nebul list resolution. What does more mean?
Speaker 1: How much were you doing it before? Unless you tracked
Speaker 1: meals over the previous year, you probably have no idea.
Speaker 1: So why not update this resolution to be specific and doable.
Speaker 1: You resolve to cook three meals per week at home
Speaker 1: unless you are traveling. Now you've got your marching orders
Speaker 1: in the kitchen for the rest of the year. In
Speaker 1: the future, I'd suggest that it is not a bad
Speaker 1: idea to check in on your goals and intentions even
Speaker 1: more frequently, like every month. Indeed, they can inform your
Speaker 1: weekly plans if you would like. But if that is
Speaker 1: not what has happened, at least used the midway point
Speaker 1: of the year as an opportunity to see what is
Speaker 1: working and what isn't in your life. A little course
Speaker 1: correction can often make big things possible. In the meantime.
Speaker 1: This is Laura, Thanks for listening, and here's to making
Speaker 1: the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to
Speaker 1: hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,
Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook
Speaker 1: and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod that's b the number four,
Speaker 1: then Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me
Speaker 1: an email at Before Breakfast podcast at i heeart media
Speaker 1: dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all
Speaker 1: the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward to staying
Speaker 1: in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio.
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