One Step. One Day.

What goal do you want to set? It’s January. You know, the month of New Year’s Resolutions. 

More people set goals to join the gym, start a diet, drink more water, get out of debt, commit to ______ (fill in the blank), than at any other time of the year. 

I mean, have you been to Walmart lately? The diet and exercise stuff are always put front and center this time of year. 

Have you watched commercials lately? It is one commercial after another advertising deals for weight loss, gym memberships, and even shopping (a commercial just came on for Haverty's: Is your New Year's Resolution to eat together as a family more often? Then you have to buy our new dining room table).  Insert eye roll here. 

So how many people keep the goals (aka New Year's Resolutions) they set on January 1? 

The odds are not usually in their favor. I mean, I haven't dug into the research, but I do have a pretty good window into the habits (or lack thereof) of human beings.

Why is that? Why do so many people set a goal on January 1 and then not too long after slip back into their old habits? 

Newsflash: Bad habits are hard to break. Good habits are hard to start.

When most of us set goals we think of doing it all year or all month or for a whole week. That is the quickest way to set yourself up for failure. 

Can I suggest a small shift in your thinking? 

Set your goal and then...

How about you just do it for one day? 

And then another day. 

And then another day. 

I started running when I turned 30. That was 14 years ago. August 2005. I couldn’t run from one mailbox to the next without stopping to catch my breath. Then in November 2016 I ran my first marathon. 

Do you think in August 2005 I was thinking about running a marathon? EVER? No way!

I went on to run another marathon in November 2017 and my third in November 2018. 

Then on August 21, 2018 I went for a regular run. But that day I decided to see how many days I could run in a row. It's called a #runstreak. I had become connected with Sarah Johnson (@SarahSajohnson) and a few others who had started their own #runstreak. So, I set the goal. 

And then I ran. I ran on August 21. I ran again on August 22. You get the picture. 

Today is January 3, 2020. And you guessed it, I went for a run. 

Do you think on August 21, 2018 I was thinking that I was still going to be running on January 3, 2020? No. 

It was one step, one day. Today was day 500 of my #runstreak. 

And, you know what? I learned that it is about so much more than running. It is about setting a goal. It is about taking the first step and then the second. It is about the first day and then the second day. 

One. Day. At. A. Time. 

Setting and achieving that one goal has allowed me to set and achieve so many other goals because I now know how to better set myself up for success. 

If I can do it, you can too. It doesn't take superhuman strength. It doesn't take some special ability. 

It just takes ONE.