Drops in a Bucket

The start of a new year often brings with it a desire for change. The act of making New Year's resolutions comes with a sense of hope and sometimes fear: speaking a wish out loud is vulnerable and also brings a feeling of realness to the situation.  You wouldn't necessarily set a resolution for change if deep down you didn't feel strongly about the reasons behind it. 

Stating an intention or choosing a goal is such a personal act. Yet, we feel compelled, or pressured at times, to share our desires widely, perhaps trying to add accountability by including others in our quest for a new start. The initial excitement and wonder of what could be are often replaced by an honest question - what now?  

The power of an intention to change lies in the way the change is approached.  I have learned (the hard way) that focusing only on a fairytale outcome is a surefire way to undermine your goal and your success. Having an idea of what you would like the outcome to be is important, and without that, your drive to move ahead will likely stall.  If that is the only thing you are focused on, however, it will become harder and harder to move forward in your quest as the year progresses, and you move from the initial excitement phase to the inevitable lull that comes midway to the finish. 

I am prone to overthinking and overwhelm as a result. I often focus way too far in the future, and then panic at the thought of how much distance exists between where my feet currently are and when I want to be.  Despite being reminded on several occasions, I still forget that I do not need to do all the work at once or alone.  There is power in choosing the next right thing, no matter how big or small that thing might feel or seem.  Consistency wins every time - the more often you add a drop to the bucket, the more water there is.  Each action you take towards change moves you closer to where you want to be, until you are suddenly much closer to the goal than the starting line. 

Keep showing up, especially on hard days, and honour your commitment to yourself.  The days that feel like you are taking one step back are building the resilience you need to push past the doubts and fears that have held you back in the past.  Just like those seemingly innocent drops of water in a bucket, it all adds up over time.