Every year on this day millions of people express the desire to achieve a lofty goal: lose weight, eat more nutritiously, be more kind, find love, make a lot of money and on it goes. These are called New Year’s resolutions yet one survey found 80% abandon their goals by February and a Forbes Health Poll found on average most people only pursue their resolution for 2-4 months before quitting. Columbia University research showed only 10% of those who make a resolution – which is half the adult U.S. population – actually achieve their goal. In fact, people are so lacking in commitment to their goals that now there is a trend in “Quitter’s Day” which falls on the second Friday of January and “Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day” which is commemorated on January 17.

What I write about in my book, Me Time Monday, is how to not be a “quitter” (which has negative connotations) but to become a “resolutionary” (a more positive psychological connection). Resolutionaries are people who know New Year’s resolutions are fleeting desires and instead they want to take control over their life and embrace a method to achieve the things that are important to them. When you become a Me Time Monday Resolutionary, your goals become lifestyle habits and these small achievements propel you to more health, happiness and joy for the rest of your life.

New Year’s Resolutions are Psychologically Defeating

According to research conducted by Richard Wiseman, a psychologist at the University of Hertfordshire in England, of those who fail to keep their resolution one common pitfall is focusing on the downside of the goal – suppressing your cravings, fantasizing about being successful, adopting a role model or relying on willpower alone.  He stated in an interview with The Guardian, “Failing to achieve your ambitions is often psychologically harmful because it can rob people of a sense of self control.”

Me Time Monday embraces the psychology of “Internal locus of control” where you achieve small things continuously. This ensures you do not set yourself up for a feeling of failure if you do not meet the big goal you have established and spent time trying to achieve but have not quite gotten there. Consistent achievement gives you back your control and that makes us happier in feeling we are achieving something we set out to do.

New Year’s Resolutions Are About One Area of Life – Me Time Monday is Finding Balance in Life

By achieving small things in the 7 essential elements of life – Physical, Emotional, Social, Intellectual, Environmental, Financial, Spiritual – you have mini victories to celebrate your accomplishments more often. The trick is to make the mini goals achievable not out of reach. By downsizing your goal, you upsize your feeling of control and ultimately your happiness.

The other trick is to create a wellness cross-training plan similar to cross-training physical programs that work out different muscles and allow for both aerobic (e.g., walking, cycling) and anaerobic (e.g., weight lifting) activities. The same is true for achieving a balanced life and therefore better wellness. By looking at the 7 Elements of Wellness and picking small things you can do in 7 minutes or less in each area, you are cross-training your way to happiness and better health.

For instance, if your goal is to become more kind, by taking care of your Physical Wellness (better sleep, moving more, staying hydrated) and practicing Spiritual Wellness through gratitude thoughts, kindness becomes easier and a part of your output to others because you feel better about yourself.

Me Time Monday Gives You Flexibility in Feeling Healthier and Happier

New Year’s resolutions are about one thing and when it takes too long or becomes too challenging on some days, you simply abandon your plan. But with Me Time Monday, you have seven areas to choose from to help you avoid a feeling of boredom, complacency or not achieving anything immediately.

One day you may want to flex your brain muscle through Intellectual Wellness activities such as daydreaming or reading a chapter in a favorite book. On another day, sunshine may entice you to walk outdoors in nature for a few minutes which fulfills your Physical Wellness activity. Each of these is equally important and valuable to your overall wellness program. And, again by making it only a few minutes, it is achievable and makes you feel as if you have done something for you – a key element to wellness and balancing life’s responsibilities for self-care.

Me Time Monday is Not a Goal – It is a Sustainable Change in Your Life

When we make New Year’s resolutions, you have a deadline in mind but you may not have a plan on how to achieve your goal. Again, these two things combine to throw up roadblocks to your desired outcome. But with Me Time Monday, it is a journey for the rest of your life. You can constantly find new activities that support your 7 Elements of Wellness and there is no end-goal because each time you spend 7 minutes or less on one of these elements, you feel a dopamine rush – the reward hormone in your brain that helps you want more of that feeling of exhilaration and achievement. Your brain says, ”Wow – if I can feel this good with this small, simple thing, then I can get more of that because it was easy and did not take me any time” and you rewire your brain to want small things but more frequently.

Me Time Monday – 7 Ways and 7 Days to Find Balance and Joy in Life

Below are the 7 Wellness Elements in my book and some of the themes and information you will find to guide you on your wellness journey:

Wellness Book, Weekly Videos, Workshops & Webinars

You can learn more and take the Me Time Monday survey in my book, watch our Self-Care in 7 Minutes Me Time Monday Wellness Videos each week with different themes from the book, and learn more about our Me Time Monday workshops and webinars.