On New Year’s Resolutions
It's January 2, 2024. Quick show of hands: how many of us have already faltered on our New Year’s Resolutions? It’s okay; we can help. I’m a staunch supporter of New Year’s Resolutions, even if, or in my case, when we fail. Why? Because even if you only adhere to them for a short time, at least you made some progress. At Chisholm Creek Academy, we embrace principles that can propel you beyond this year's resolutions and create a significant impact on your life.
START WITH THE BROCCOLI
We advise our learners to tackle the task they least want to do first. If math is causing you strife, dive into math. If the thought of writing that paper is looming, prioritize it on your schedule. There is a Japanese proverb that wisely suggests, "The fear of something is often greater than the danger itself." Face the tasks you'd rather avoid while you're fresh and ready for the challenge. More often than not, you'll realize it wasn’t as daunting as your anxiety made it out to be. The real challenge is accepting the call, the contest, the quest, and just getting started.
ONE RESOLUTION AT A TIME
Your list may be as long as your arm, but it won’t serve you well if you can't get through the items. Ever felt that daunting dread staring at a lengthy to-do list, knowing how hard it's going to be? At Chisholm Creek Academy, we teach our learners to break any task into small enough pieces so that the first step is manageable. Prioritize your list and start with just one resolution.
ONE RESOLUTION, 21 DAYS IN A ROW
Yes, you heard me right—21 days in a row for your chosen resolution. Whether it's hitting the gym, eating healthier, or reading more, commit to 21 days consecutively. This isn't magic; it’s science, specifically neuroscience. At CCA, we understand that habits are formed 21 days at a time. As Aristotle famously quipped in Nicomachean Ethics, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit." Your habits define who you are, so cultivate a habit aligned with the person you aspire to become, and do it 21 days at a time.
Feel free to tackle another habit after 21 days. If you maintain this rhythm throughout the year, you’ll conquer 17 resolutions, setting you apart from the rest of the January-2nd-resolution-failure-mortals.
BITE-SIZE PIECES
We teach our learners to reverse engineer tasks tied to their goals. For example, if your goal is to read a book that has been on your nightstand for the last two years, break it down. Take the total number of pages, divide it by the time you want to finish it, and determine the number of pages to read per day. You have one goal over the next 21 days which is an easy timeframe for working on your objective. For instance, Dante’s Divine Comedy, Inferno is 338 pages, so 338 pgs/21 days = 14 pages a day. Simple, right?
REFLECT AND REWARD
At the end of each day, reflect on your accomplishments and failures. Ask yourself, “What can I do next time to make it better?” Without time for reflection and planning for improvement, why expect anything to be different tomorrow? Additionally, recognize that, despite knowing our goals are good on an intellectual level, intrinsic motivation is not always readily available. Choose a reward for accomplishing your task that motivates you. It could be anything—a new hoodie for losing weight, new shoes for hitting your jogging goal, or a cheat day from your diet. Reward yourself to keep moving forward because sooner or later, those extrinsic rewards will cease to matter, and you'll find yourself intrinsically motivated to do the work.
At Chisholm Creek Academy, we emphasize Excellence. For us, Excellence is doing the best you can do and doing better than you did last time. We abide by the 1% rule—if you can get 1% better than you did last time, that’s progress. Accumulate enough 1% improvements, and suddenly you’re 3678% better than you were last year. Utilize these learner tips to conquer some of your New Year’s Resolutions this year and take monumental steps in the epic story that is your life!