6 resolutions to make in any part of the year

You ever heard the phrase, "it's never too late to start over?" It’s a romantic idea, to start fresh. It gives us hope that tomorrow will be different, and that all the baggage we are carrying around can somehow just fall away with the simple flip of a calendar or the start of new day.

In reality, that’s not how it works. The baggage is still there, the problems still need to be solved, and the changes are still waiting to be made. Which is why I tend not to subscribe to the idea of resolutions during any part of the year. BUT, I do believe every day can be a new beginning if we want it to be.

That being said, here is my list of resolutions you can and should make during any part of the year:

1) Find your discipline (NOT your motivation)
Too many people focus on motivation as the key factor in making goals and sticking with them. But the truth is, motivation is temporary. Nobody wakes up every day feeling motivated to accomplish their goals. It’s simply not in our nature as humans.

What you actually need is discipline. Discipline will see you through when motivation falters. Are you motivated to go do chores every morning? Is motivation what gets you out the door to break water or feed cows? NO. I would argue that the majority of the time you do those things out of discipline. You accomplish those tasks because you know you have to every single day in order to reach your ranch goals and raise healthy animals.

The same is true for working out or reading every day or drinking enough water or (insert resolution here). You may wake up the first week feeling motivated to do those things, but after that, when that motivation starts to wane and your bad habits creep back in, discipline is what will be the difference between making it or breaking it. I personally exercise first thing in the morning six days a week - and I would say discipline gets me out of bed five of those six days. I never regret doing the workout, but I sure as hell am not motivated at 5:00 am when my alarm goes off.

Find your discipline and the rest will start to fall into place.

2) Make your health a priority (NOT weight loss)
Losing weight is the third most popular resolution according to Forbes. And actually, I’m surprised it wasn’t number one. While I do applaud this goal, because a whopping 40% of American’s are classified as obese, it doesn’t actually address the root problem.

Truthfully, we live in a food and health care system that makes us sick. I’m not saying that to ruffle feathers - even though it might. I’m saying it as an active participant and observer of that system. Until recently, I subscribed to a lot of the ideas that system wants us to believe. We are fed copious amounts of sugar and processed ingredients, we live sedentary lives, and we flood our environment with toxins. And when we get sick, we look to a health care system that prescribes medications that are really just a bandaid over our symptoms. And to top it off, those prescriptions were made by large pharmaceutical companies who have produced skewed “scientific” data for decades.

I’m getting away from my point here (even though I have a lot of thoughts on that paragraph above if you ever want to get into it), but if you really want to take control of your weight or how you feel this year - focus on your health and not the number on the scale. Start looking at the ingredients in the foods you eat. Start lifting weights instead of just cardio. Check your hormone levels and stop taking unnecessary medications. Get a water filter. Do your own, unbiased research on how to improve your health and wellness.

There’s so much more to being healthy than what you weigh and making that shift could change your entire life.

3) Don’t always have an opinion

Thanks to social media and the news, we’ve gotten to a point in our society where everyone thinks they need to have an opinion on everything. And not only that, we’ve made it easy to share those opinions without repercussions because all we have to do is hide behind a screen.

But contrary to what your ego tells you, not every situation or person is asking to be judged by you.

I know, I know, that sounds harsh. But it’s also true. There are many instances where what you think doesn’t hold weight and the only person you’re really sharing it for, is yourself. What’s more, those opinions often breed negativity that can seep into other areas of your life and they can suck the energy right out of you.

This year, make it a point to save your energy and your opinions for the situations that matter, and let go of the stress of involving yourself in things that don’t.

4) Invest in yourself (financially, physically, spiritually, and emotionally)

This is one that will be difficult for a lot of people - especially the moms reading this - because most of us spend so much time investing in everyone around us. And when I say invest in yourself, I don’t mean “practice self care.” To be honest, I actually hate that phrase because I don’t really know what people mean by it. Are you telling me to put a face mask on and lock my children out of the room? Does running errands alone count? Do I book a trip to Bora Bora? So many questions.

What I actually mean is, invest in what is going to make you better. If you want to start a business, invest in coaching from someone who’s already done it. If you want to become the strongest you’ve ever been physically, invest in a trainer or the equipment that will get you there. If you want to grow closer to God, invest in Bible studies and time spent with your church family. If you want to become emotionally healthy, invest in counseling or support.

Money is so often what holds us back when it comes to bettering ourselves. But we don’t think twice about buying that new pair of shoes or eating out instead of cooking. I’m not offering any judgement here, I’m as guilty as the next person of spending money on things instead of investing in my future. But this past year has shown me just how important making that change in mindset can be.

The difference between the people that are way ahead financially, physically, spiritually, and/or emotionally, and yourself is probably a matter of the investment they made into their journey. I’ve invested more money this past year in my health and my new brand than I would have ever been comfortable with in past years, and it’s paid me back exponentially. Like my husband always says, more risk = more reward. And I’m starting to see that he’s right (but don’t tell him I said that).

5) Don’t be a know it all

First and foremost - nobody knows everything and nobody really likes people who think they know everything. So that should be reason enough to make this resolution.

But what’s more, is that it’s so important to be a lifelong learner. There is ALWAYS something to learn, no matter the subject. And oftentimes, the more we learn the more we realize we don’t know. If more people took this perspective, we’d be a lot further along in a lot of ways in our society.

I don’t just mean this one about school subjects or the latest workout trend - I also mean it in reference to people. Go into every situation wanting to learn something new about the people you’re with. We’re really good at assuming we know everything there is to know about someone without actually asking them any questions. And we as people are ever evolving, even from day to day, so make it a new habit to ask questions and actually care about the answers.

If we all made this shift to accepting that we don’t know everything and that we’re open to learning more, we’d live in a culture that’s a lot more empathetic, collaborative, and successful.

6) Surround yourself with people that make you better (and get rid of the ones that don’t)

You hear this one a lot - you’re the sum of the five people you spend the most time with - or something along those lines. And while I’m not sure that’s entirely true, I do think the idea of getting successful people in your circle holds merit.

Being comfortable is great. And being around people that make you comfortable feels nice. But comfortable also tends to mean stagnant, which can get pretty boring after a while. And people that keep you exactly the same - or worse, hold you back - aren’t going to push you out of that comfort zone.

One of my favorite parts about being married to Jake is how much he challenges me. He is constantly pushing me to be the best version of myself, even when I don’t want to hear it. He provides support when I need the confidence to blaze ahead, and he provides tough love when I want to wallow inside my comfort zone. And I am a better person in pretty much all areas because of it.

And he isn’t the only one. This community, the Basic Ranch Mom tribe, has brought me to people I didn’t even know I needed in my life. I’ve found people that have mentored me when I’m stuck, pushed me when I’m afraid, and supported me when I lacked faith in myself. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg for the rockstars I have in my corner. I may not have a big circle, but the quality is top notch.

This is the time to find your people, even in unconventional ways. And what’s more - let go of the ones who aren’t. Some people aren’t meant to stay in our lives as we grow and change and evolve and that’s ok. Truthfully, you probably aren’t their people either.

I know this one got a bit lengthy, but I hope you found some hidden gems in what I had to say. Don’t be afraid to make the shifts necessary to make your life better today, even if you have to do it a little bit at a time.

Baby steps are still steps sis. And one year from now they might add up to a whole lot of change.