Word of The Year: Progress

My final word of the year is Progress, after Patience and Presence.

I tend to be drastic with my goals, and opt for huge changes that don’t stick or vague ideas without known ways to track them. Things like “lose 10 pounds this month” and “travel more.”

Then I fail.

This year, rather than going for life changing, big finish type goals, I am working on making progress. I am setting small, process goals that will get me closer to my “ideal” without demanding that I get there. Getting closer to the me that I want to be in all areas. But being patient with my progress and myself. And persistent (maybe that should have been another one of my words).

I am working on making progress towards the me that I want to be, without making any demands that I get there now. I will count it as a success if I am a better version of me at the end of the year. If, in every area of my life, I can see an improvement.

Progress

Have you heard of the 1% rule? That if each day, you are just 1% better than the day before, you will be exponentially better by the end of the year. Actually, you will be 37.78% better by the end of the year. That sounds pretty good to me. If I am almost 40% better in most areas of my life, just by making small changes each and every day, I will consider this an incredible year. Maybe one of my best!

I have learned that asking myself to do something difficult or drastic is almost never successful. “Workout five days a week,” or “drink 10 glasses of water” or “save $X this year” end up in disappointment and a feeling of failure. I can’t realistically expect myself to go from no workouts to a five-a-week commitment. Can you? Probably not. So, why not focus on progress?

Maybe I work out for ten minutes in the morning? Maybe I just make sure I step foot on my yoga mat at least once per day. And if I get interrupted (as I often do), I at least made the effort and am moving forward. Maybe once it becomes a habit, I up it to twenty minutes and then add a longer session in one of the days the kids are at school. (As I edit this, I am thirty days into a 20 minute a day practice… progress!)

I am going to move forward. I am going to take small steps each day to be a better me, in all areas. I am going to apologize when I have not been a better me (to my kids, to myself, to whomever deserves an apology). And, most importantly, I am going to forgive myself on the days that I am not a better me, and wake up the next morning determined to start over, start fresh, and continue to make progress.

There will be no big changes. There will be no trying to do it all today (or any other day, for that matter!). And, there will be absolutely no striving for perfection. I will make progress on all areas of my life, in tiny steps over time.

I will not vow to have a spotless house, I will work to have a house that is just a bit cleaner and a bit less cluttered than yesterday. Maybe I will clean out one drawer, and give away a few shirts that don’t fit or some frames that aren’t being used. Maybe I will spend a few extra minutes after I put the kids to bed neatening up. I likely will never have a spotless house, and I am not entirely sure I want one. But, I will work to be a little neater than I was yesterday.

I am not going to say how much weight I will lose this year. I will not diet. But I will eat a bit healthier than I did yesterday. I will meal plan to make my life easier and my choices healthier. I will take a few extra steps. I will work to treat my body with the love and respect it deserves. I will consider my body’s future and what I want it to feel like. I will listen to it more and complain about it less. It certainly deserves that after all it has done for me and my family in the last few years.

I will not give myself a fixed savings goal, as my income varies. But, I will strive to save more than I did last year. I will strive to be a little more mindful of my spending, and not just throw things into my cart. I pay myself first, always, even if it is just a small percentage, and increase that percentage as the year goes on. I will be a little more aware of my spending and a little more mindful of my finances.

I will wake up every morning as if it is a new day and a new opportunity to be a better me. A better mom, a better entrepreneur, a better friend and partner. I will not promise that I won’t lose my patience or temper this year, I will simply work on being more patient than I was yesterday.

I will not be perfect. I cannot be perfect. I will just do better and be better than I was yesterday, each and every day.

I will make progress.