Check the scenario. A large king lobster on the dinner plate. The bowl with the melted, hot butter to dip the crab is right there and you’re ready to dip. The thought of tasting the succulent seafood has your mouth watering! The napkins are on, the utensils are right there to open the crab and delve into this delicious entree. Yet, you try to put the whole lobster in your mouth without using the utensils or breaking it down. You even try to dip the whole lobster into the butter bowl first. Welcome to failure. Not only do you not get to taste the delicate, tender meat inside. You make a full-sized mess. By the way, I do love lobster (as well as real butter with it) and had cravings for it during the pregnancy of my oldest son.
Okay, truly every adult knows better than this. However, that is what we tend to do with New Year’s resolutions. We want to accomplish the whole thing in one felt swoop and expect to thoroughly enjoy the success. I have learned that change, growth and development is a process. It is in this process that you actually move forward to accomplishing your goals.
In reading the post of a fellow blogger, thegoodvader (The Hidden Trap of New Year’s Resolutions), I respond in agreement with breaking down your resolutions to achievable steps towards the big picture. The perspective that failure to continue in new resolutions after a brief period counts as failure for the year contributes to the inclination to give up. Try again next year. Thegoodvader is a post breakdown that includes goals, habits and a renewed perspective on resolutions. The point made in the post is to reconsider your timeframe from a year to possibly month-to-month steps that help you more significantly toward achieving your resolution. Even week-to-week is reasonable if that is what works for you. You can actually turn the stigma of failed resolutions into accomplishment by using smaller steps to achieve the goal. This way, smaller steps enable you to move more successfully toward those goals. Every failed attempt is the prompt to get up and try again. It is easier to accomplishment smaller steps in shorter timeframes than to attempt to accomplish the big picture immediately. You stay empowered and motivated with smaller steps.
I enjoyed this post because it has encouraged me regarding my own resolution. Commitment to my writing started this year. I have missed only a few days. Yes, it is just the middle of January. However, I am only focused on January. The smaller step of my goal is to get through January. I have already seen success. This is encouraging and motivating for me. Another accomplishment was to actually participate in the blogging class I signed up for and complete the assignments. I have done that. I did not stress about making sure every day’s assignment was done on that day but focused on making sure the assignment got done. That said, thegoodvader’s post just reinforced steps I was already taking.
The lobster analogy serves to show that some things need to be broken down for true and real enjoyment. Enjoy the process of accomplishing your New Year’s resolutions. Control them and don’t let them overwhelm you. Change your perspective and move toward your success. Be blessed in your change, growth and development. Inspired by a fellow blogger, I do hope that readers are encouraged to keep moving forward by this post. Check out thegoodvader post regarding this subject.