February is the shortest month of the year, so why not use it to develop a new habit? After all, you should be able to do something consistently for 28 days...right?
The first month of 2011 is over, and most people's "New Year's Resolutions" are long since forgotten. Instead of re-visiting a list of resolutions, or a laundry list of things you want to do and change, make the conscious decision to focus on one thing (and only one thing) in February. For example:
1.) I will do 15-minutes of physical activity every day.
2.) I will not eat junk food and candy.
3.) I will stop smoking.
4.) I will spend 15 minutes a day reading a book.
5.) I will say something positive, uplifting, and unsolicited to another person every day.
Pick what is most compelling, and then focus on doing it in February. Don't pick two different things, or five different things - pick ONE thing. And then do it. And when March 1st arrives, you will be well on your way to a new habit. At which point, you can pick ONE more thing to focus on in March. And so on, until you find that you have developed a handful of new (positive!) habits when 2011 comes to an end.
Here are some additional tips to help you in your February experiment:
1.) Commit your one thing to writing - if you don't take the time to document it, it is not important to you.
2.) Document why you want to do it - is it because it is healthy, because the alternative is detrimental, or because it will make you feel better? Write down the reasons.
3.) Don't sabotage yourself - you know that little voice inside your head? The one that says you can't, or you shouldn't? Don't listen to it. Or better yet, make it tell you something positive and uplifting!
4.) Visualize your success - hold a picture of yourself being successful with your new habit in your mind. Reflect on it several times daily.
And finally:
5.) Get started - don't make excuses, do something right now!
what is t.a.d.?
