Don’t put off working towards your 2023 goals until after Hogmanay, writes Calum Richardson – get started today.
How many times have you said or have you heard: “I will start in January”, or: “Just wait until Christmas and New Year are over”?
I have said these phrases so many times myself, and come up with some of the most amazing excuses, but that is natural. It’s how the mind works – it looks for all the reasons to keep you in your comfort zone and not make you step outside it.
That’s why, when your alarm clock goes off in the morning, you think: “Five more minutes. It’s too cold, it’s still dark.” It’s a habit, and the body likes habits.
You need to create new habits by repeatedly doing things, and doing what your mind says no to. If you regularly get up as soon as your alarm goes off, you have created a new habit – and the discomfort is over fairly quickly.
At this time of year, people often say: “I’m going to get fit in the New Year, I’m not going to drink in January. Well, after the third…”
There is never a better time to start than today – create the habit and routine now. If you decide to join a gym or commit to some other kind of training, plan it, put it in your calendar on your phone, declare it to someone – a friend, a family member, or on social media – so you will be held accountable.
If you start today, it doesn’t stop you from celebrating Christmas and New Year. You can still enjoy yourself, but you will have already formed a habit you can then carry on with.
Creating goals and plans and tracking them, whether it’s completing so many gym sessions in a month or keeping an eye on your nutrition, lets you see results.
Get out of your comfort zone
I get up every morning and take an ice bath to start my day. Trust me, I have a thousand reasons not to when my alarm goes off – I don’t want to get into a tank of water at 2C in the dark, wind and rain.
But, really, the water is at the same temperature it would be in the sun. Once I’m in there, I soon stop thinking about the rain and the dark. To be honest, I stop thinking about anything, and that’s the real benefit.
Five minutes later, I’m back in the warmth of my house, feeling the benefit and buzzing for the day ahead.
Nothing was ever gained by staying in your comfort zone, or by worrying what everyone else will think. By taking small steps every day, the goal becomes a reality very quickly.
Merry Fishmas!
Calum Richardson is owner of The Bay Fish & Chips in Stonehaven