5 Ways to Make a Fresh Start

According to a 2021 study, about 64% of people who make New Year’s resolutions have given up on them by the end of January. Research also tells us that we are 62.9% more likely to commit to a goal when we begin with a temporal marker (at the start of the month, beginning of the week, etc.).  So if your best intentions didn’t go as planned at the start of 2022, it’s a new month and time for a fresh start!

Here are 5 simple ways to make a fresh start today:

1. Evaluate – What were the wins and challenges last month? What’s working, and what could you do differently? What do you want to start, stop or continue as you move forward?
2. Gather Information – What is one area of your life (personal or professional) you’d like to improve? Identify the top 2-3 books, videos or other educational sources and select one to complete, with the intention of identifying 2-3 key points you’ll apply.
3. Begin/Eliminate a Habit – New habits often fail because we’re overly ambitious. Science tells us that the path to success is to do less! Changes in thinking and behavior take about two months to build. Try working on just one or two habits at a time and break it down into a task small enough that it is easy to do consistently.
4. Experiment – This mental trick offers a different perspective on changing your behavior by giving yourself permission to explore a new way of being or doing something without fear of failure. Perhaps you’ve heard about the benefits of meditation and wonder if it’s something you can do since you don’t like to sit still. You set up an experiment where you define the length of time, your intended outcomes, and when you will check in with yourself. This approach allows you the freedom to fail (not completely achieve the outcomes) as well as learn from what you are doing.
5. Let go – Whether it’s mental models, mindsets, relationships, belongings, or patterns in life – what are the things that are no longer serving you? What are the things that will create space and free you when you let them go? For the month of February, let it go and assess the impact.

Take the opportunity of a fresh start to try something new. Choose progress over perfection and celebrate your successes along the way.