Everyone’s resolving things right now.

“I’ll lose weight.”
“I’ll spend more time with family.”
“I’ll learn a new language.”
“I’ll quit smoking.”

Resolutions can be great.

Setting an intention is a powerful practice!

But what if we turned the whole New Year’s resolutions thing on its ear a bit?

Ounces and crumbs matter. Small can be big. Change can be gentle.

Reverse resolutions

A new year is not just a time for new beginnings.

It is also a time to continue on a path, to recommit to things that you’ve done well in the past year.

So, how about looking back at the past year and giving yourself credit for the things you did well?

What about continuing forward with habits and efforts that you already incorporate into your day to day life?

After all, change doesn’t just happen with grand and sweeping gestures.

It also happens in small and gentle increments.

One nap at a time.
One conversation at a time.
One pose at a time.

So, I’m proposing something a bit different this year. It’s a little bit like an “I did” list— the cure for the common “To Do” list– but it has an extra part.

It says, “I tried these things in 2012 and those worked well for me. Let’s do that again!”

Why bother?

Why this backward-looking practice, instead of setting new goals?

1.) Give yourself credit for things you’ve done well.

And if you think you haven’t done anything worth repeating in the new year, check your filter and try again.

2.) Cultivating new good habits is harder than keeping up old ones. I hate to say it, but odds are against you starting something new.

I’m sure you know the stats on new year’s resolutions– most of them are forgotten and abandoned by mid-February.

If you must start something new, pick one goal and focus on it. The more goals you set, the more scattered your efforts.

3.) Small stuff often goes unseen. Lots of big, good stuff comes from small rituals and brief practices.

Change your frame of reference and instead of looking for big milestones, consider your smaller victories and efforts. Those matter, too.

Resolutions, if you must…

Here’s my all-time favorite candidate for resolutions:

Be nicer to yourself. In other words: more sleep, less critical & sharp thinking, more yoga, lunches, therapy, and “I did” lists. More understanding and patience. Just try a few of those on for size for a week. I bet it would help.

And the runner-up?

Slow down. I don’t think it needs much explanation.

Staying the course

Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do isn’t radical change.

It is simply staying the course.

Don’t let your efforts and habits become invisible because they are commonplace! Appreciate all the quiet work you are doing to find or keep to a nourishing path.

Here’s to big change in small pieces in 2013!