A Happy Tai Chi New Year!

Years ago I resolved not to make any New Year's resolutions and so far that is the only one I have ever made that is holding its ground. ;-) I do however take this time to reflect back on what has gone well in my life and what needs improvement.

Of course I need to practice my Tai Chi more, eat better, sleep longer, spend more time with the family, grow the business and be happy. But to place overly high expectations on myself only serves to disappoint me come February or at best, February 5th. ;-) Neuro-linguistic programming training says it takes 21 days to make or break a habit. I believe it takes less than 20 days for the typical person to dash their hopes with an overzealous resolution and send themselves into 340 days of "whats the point... 2007", the sequel.

In Tai Chi training, we ask our students to have goals but lose expectations, have determination but lose disappointment, be persistent but not demanding, to accept failure but not defeat. In short, to give yourself room to be less than perfect, to recognize and appreciate the little successes along the way and not not give up when you stumble or falter at the hands of this difficult, rewarding training we call Tai Chi.

So what to do?
If you want to set a resolution, be specific, not just "exercise more" or "eat better" but find an exercise program that is of interest to you (like Tai Chi maybe? ;-)), allow yourself a slow steady pace to get into the routine of that exercise and give yourself a break if you stumble of few times during that all important 21 days.

In 2007 "Eating better" is quite the challenge unto itself. With all the fast food that slows your arteries and speeds your trip to the "new pants store" we have a life that no longer knows how to slow down and MAKE TIME for a real meal. So lets pull out something ready made and frozen, save ourselves an entire 15 minutes of meal preparation and compromise the vitamin content of our foods to the point of extinction. Here is a suggestion, take some time during the weekend to prep the veggies, and other items you will be using during the week and have a plan in place for each nights meals. Remember, only 21 days to make a habit stick. Another option is to cook the meals on the weekend like stews and stir fry dishes that only get better as they sit in their own juices waiting to be warmed up during the week. Fayne makes a fantastic Chili by the way.

For me, I will look back on 2006 with a clean rear view mirror, recognize the challenges I still face towards being the perfect husband, father, son, instructor, friend; smile and know that I will be smiling again this time next year at the steps I made along my path.

Do your best, expect a few stumbles, never give up and most of all, have a safe, healthy and happy 2007!