Is September the new January?

Change is a constant. People gravitate toward constants, but may struggle with the concept of change itself. Many people think favorably of things that remain steady, predictable, and planned. However, we also tend to build things around great change: changing of seasons, political figures, weather, a new school year, etc. So, when summer begins its transition into fall, it's natural to feel either a sense of upheaval and/or renewal. This time of the year begs us to face the ever-constant: our relationship with change.

Just as we go into the New Year with a sense of renewal and hope, so too can September be the time of transition and reevaluation. In fact, this month can be called a 'temporal landmark' which is a significant time where goal-setting creates a boost in motivation and psychological sense of a clean slate. This can be a time of self-reflection and separation from the past. You can make September a routine "checking-in" point in the year to identify whether or not you are hitting your goals and/or achieving what you want in life.

Ride the same back-to-school energy by using that mindset to carry you through an intentional look at your year. A few bits of advice that can help you on your way:

1. Revisit goals you set earlier within the year.
2. If it's not working, reset it.
3. Break down goals into smaller, manageable ones.
4. Create a way to track your progress.
5. Keep things simple.

You can set practical steps towards your goals or create new habits starting this fall - it's the perfect new start to the year! 🍁

New Year, New You?

I have to admit that I fit in with the mass of the population whose new year's resolutions consists of getting healthier and looking different. I don't know about you but I know that my goals are more about living longer with a better quality of life and feeling better about myself. Being an advocate for positive change, I find the process of making resolutions invigorating. In the past, I have asked myself more dire, serious questions, but this year I am thankful to be asking smaller and more achievable ones.

I almost always set a goal to exercise more in general and I will say that doing so at least 30 minutes a day has (and will most likely always) help me. I find that many people share a similar goal, whether it be to actually make use of that gym membership or to finally be able to say you have participated in a marathon, I believe this is such a worthy goal. It's not only about feeling good about the way you look, but feeling good about the way you are. For myself, the aftereffects of incorporating more exercise in my routine enables my body to simply be. If you know, then you know.

The other task is more monumental: what can I do to change the way I look, and how can I do it in a way that improves rather than detracts? Now, I am not just talking about pure aesthetics, though in a highly visual, interconnected world there is some of that in play. But, rather, in a bigger and more substantial way, how can I make changes to differentiate myself so that I feel more like me? There are so many ways to become more authentic, but to change a few things on the outside does help get more trivial things out of the way to make room for the heftier, weightier work: the inside stuff.

I have long reflected and done work on the inside, now I am realizing that it came at a cost to my outside. I get to choose how I represent myself in the world, not just with my actions, thoughts, and expressions but how I decide to show up - physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, all the -y's. We have been given such a gift to be able to choose in this life, and it is so much stronger than it first appears. If anything, I am wishing you a year of choosing.

Lastly, let me leave you with a challenge, ask yourself: What will I choose this year?