On Rebranding January
I give you "Graceuary"!
We are more than halfway into January and I have to ask… How are those resolutions holding up? Dryuary anyone? (I gave that a shot for a day - Dayuary?)
Since we’re on the subject of renaming January, I’d like to toss my feather into the ring. See, January - the first week of it at least - is the most motivating time of the year. Well, that and Sept. They both represent a time to take stock—one after the gluttony of the holidays, and the other as a means to repent for the food-sins of our summer selves.
And off we go, into the inky darkness of change only to emerge a few days later strung out and hangry. Change oftentimes proves itself to be the superior adversary, eating good intentions and resolutions for snack time.
January’s promises of a shiny new year filled with smaller dress sizes, fulfilling careers, and more time than we know what to do with can be mesmerizing—it’s just, how do we realistically achieve that without relying on willpower and self-control—things that peter out rather quickly!
This year I’m leading the charge for all who have yet to head into February with their shiny new routines still intact. I’m taking a stand for all my fallen comrades who in trying to better themselves have only made themselves feel worse against the enormity of change. Let’s stand up against the Januarys of the past, brush off the Cheeto dust—why are these things even in my house?!—and tackle this month in a whole new way.
Join me as we rebrand January as Graceuary—the month we ease into our changes, allowing a plethora of grace to fall upon our stressed-out shoulders. To recommit over and over if necessary. To experiment with our goals, i.e. weight loss, building strength, lifting weights, eating more veggies, less Cheetos, drinking more water, less wine, being kinder, caring less of what others think, creating something new, learning something new, claw out of mediocrity. And if we don’t get it right on the first try, it’s ok. It’s more than ok, it’s expected. It’s all part of learning to become more graceful with change.
The Fabulous Few
So how does Graceuary work? Like all good attempts at change, we begin with a list. This list will have on it all the things we want to change, learn, create, and achieve. All of it—written down in one place. Next, we begin mercilessly crossing off the things that don’t bring an ounce of joy to our faces. If your lips aren’t slightly curling up into a smile at the thought of achieving that thing, cross it off and keep it off until you’ve got some momentum flowing into February. Once you’re done pruning your list, what you will be left with is a list of the Fabulous Few—the things you know for certain that will make your life better, richer, and more fulfilling.
My Fabulous Few looks like this:
Learn Italian
Read and write every day
Record a weekly podcast
Work out six days a week
Snack less
And then, after each one, I will add a “so that…” to explain why it’s important to me.
So my list looks like this now:
Learn Italian… so that when I get around to visiting Italy again, I won’t sound like a tourist boob.
Read and write every day… so that I feel more comfortable and confident with my words. (Consistency will be my best friend.)
Record a weekly podcast… so that I can connect with other women struggling with their fitness goals, share stories, and provide support and inspiration.
Work out six days a week… so that I head into the next decade even stronger—because I plan to age fiercely guuuurl!!
Snack less… so that I can put on my pants with ease—Hail Muffin-Top-Free Living!!
With simple yet clear goals, plus the extra push from knowing why they’re important to me, I’m able to slowly dip myself into the cool pool of change by beginning to experiment with ease. This practice is a more delicate approach compared to the typical headfirst dive into the brick wall of change many of us greet January with. Headbutts. A lot of headbutts and headaches.
Graceuary is all about giving yourself the best chance to make change stick. It’s an invitation to slow down and become a kinder gentler soul to your soul. Being more graceful with yourself as you navigate the twisty twirly path of change will give you not only a better experience, but it will also move you away from relying on willpower and self-control.
(Part 2 of this post I’ll explain how I’m going about implementing these things into my life. Stay tuned!)
What do you have in store for this year? What changes are you looking to make that you’re ready to ease into?