New Month & New Beginnings
Happy February, everyone!
It's a new month, and that can mean a lot of things. To start, this new month means Valentine's Day is coming up, which means it is likely there will be candy and chocolates and sweets all around temping you left and right--right? I know I can't be the only one with an incredible sweet tooth... Anyway, yes the temptations will be real, but NO you do not need to give in and NO you do not have to beat yourself up if you do!
(You could just email to join my Post Valentine's 4-week online challenge to combat it ;) --shameless plug...)
There are a few things I want to touch on this post, starting with what I just mentioned:
You do not need to beat yourself up if you slip up.
Be that a day this month, or any other day this year. We are all human, and we all have not-so-great days. The beauty of life is that when we go to bed, many of us are fortunate enough to wake back up and take on a new day. With that is a new beginning-- and that is what we need to keep in mind.
I know this is a lot easier to say than to do, but do yourself a favor by making a conscious effort to remember it. Your world is not over because you were temporarily derailed for some reason. When whatever it was that threw you off is over, jump back on the tracks and start again. Pick up where you left off and treat it like a new beginning.
The next thing I wanted to talk about has to do with today:
The start of a new month...
This could also be lumped into the "new beginning" category, but what I really wanted to get at was using the start of a new month as a time for reflection and goal setting.
New months are great for looking at where you've been and refocusing on where you're going. Use the start of a new month to set mini-goals and formulate a plan on how you're going to reach them (more on goal setting and short-term goals talked about on this page under "Fitness Tips").
As well, if you haven't set any short or long-term goals yet, what better time to do so than the first of the month?! Create your plan of attack and work on following through all month long. Then, when March 1st rolls around, reflect on how things went/how you're progressing, and either keep at it by setting new short-term goals that align with your big picture, or refocus by perhaps changing your plan of action/overall (long-term) goal!
So, in a nutshell, if/when you slip up, remember that that mistake will only last as long as you let it (don't view it as an excuse to say 'screw it' and carry the problem out longer). Get yourself over it and start again. As well, use today to reflect on the last month and generate a game plan for this month.
It's a new day and a new month-- go out and dominate it!