Is It Time to Recommit?
“Don’t give up on the person you’re becoming.” – Unknown
Back in January, I set an intention to “find ME again” in 2024. This was the result of a rough end of 2023 for me as a caregiver. I was exhausted, and I longed for a version of myself that felt better, like my “old” self.
Well, almost five months have passed, and I’ve discovered that maybe this intention was not realistic. My caregiving has changed me in many ways, some positive and some negative. I continually find myself tested, but these tests offer opportunities for growth – growing in patience, setting boundaries, active listening, and having hard conversations.
Perhaps a more realistic intention for 2024 is to “find who I am BECOMING.” How can I take what I’ve learned to be the best version of the NEW me? That’s something I can recommit to – which brings us to this week’s topic: recommit, don’t quit.
We all get off track sometimes. We can get back on track by recommitting – by pausing, practicing self-compassion, being gentle with ourselves, and remembering that we’ve done hard things before, and we can do it again!
Here are three tools that may help you embrace a “recommit, don’t quit” mindset:
START SMALL: Take microsteps – one microstep at a time – tiny, habit-building changes that are too small to fail.
BELIEVE YOU CAN: Give yourself a little pep talk. Tell yourself “I’ve got this … keep going!” As Theodore Roosevelt said, “Believe you can, and you’re halfway there.”
REFRAME SETBACKS: We all make mistakes, and we all fail sometimes. Instead of seeing these as weaknesses, consider them as opportunities for growth.
Remember, it’s never too late to cultivate a “don’t quit” mindset. And a big part of that mindset is commitment. We are more emotionally connected to our commitments, and that makes them even more powerful than our goals. We may have setbacks in pursuit of our goals, resolutions, or intentions, but when we make a true commitment, it is rarely broken.
So now that we’re almost halfway through 2024, it may be a good time to revisit YOUR goals and intentions. Maybe you’ve gone off track somehow, and it’s time to recommit. Or maybe you’ve experienced opportunities for growth, and you need to revise your intentions in some way. Whichever is the case, don’t quit! It’s all part of your journey toward the person YOU are becoming.