Small Change

January 1 holds such promise! New Year’s Day: a fresh start for everyone, everywhere. On this day, it is still possible to “get it all right” in 2023. Exercise more! Drink less! Lose weight! Save money! Learn Spanish! Get organized! The temptation is to change every bad habit into a good one, in one great effort, beginning on a single day, as if by wishing it were so, we could create a new reality for our lives. In my 50+ years, I’ve made my fair share of New Year’s resolutions. This year, I’m doing something different.

I began with the end in mind: If I could magically transport myself to December 31, 2023, what would I want to be true on that day?

I want to be healthy and strongly connected to others. I want a reliable rhythm to my days mixed with a little of the enchantingly unexpected. I want balance between purposeful work and adventuresome play - and the time and capacity to enjoy both.

It was tempting to jot down a few resolutions, and I’m really good at SMART goals. I will exercise 150 minutes a week. I will eat beef only once a week. I will only drink alcohol on weekends and holidays. I can measure them! I can track my progress! (Those of you who know me well understand the temptation of a good spreadsheet with graphs.) And then in my search for inspiration, I ran across this quote:

We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.

- Marian Wright Edelman

And I remembered - I have been most successful when I work on small habit changes. These seem to “stick” much better than sweeping resolutions, perhaps because I love the alluring rhythm of routine. Being consistent about email inbox-zero habits equals not ever feeling overwhelmed by the need to catch up. Moving the laundry “one click” each morning means there isn’t ever much to do, and always clean underwear! Taking five minutes to complete a gratitude journal on my phone each morning leads to warm fuzzies when I look back over the years of past entries.

So this year, no resolutions. No grand plans. I’ll build on my micro habits, adding carefully to my routine each day and allowing for those times of unexpected surprise, when life takes me in a different direction. And I will focus on what matters: health, people, balance.

This year, I’ll delight in making small change.