Forget Perfection: Embrace Progress This Year

On New Year’s Day, I was about to start a (chilly) hike with my family when my son nonchalantly asked, “Mom, is today Quitter’s Day?” He’s overheard a commercial on TV that talks about how the second Friday of January is known as “Quitters Day”, the day when people typically give up on their New Year’s goals.  His comment made me chuckle, the irony of him asking on New Year's Day. I reflected on how we start the year off with all sorts of goals and intentions, and then quickly fizzle out on the “new you” we want to be.  If I’m honest, I’m not a big fan of the “new you” concept anyway.  I think it puts a lot of pressure on us to recreate ourselves, strive for mostly unrealistic expectations and goals, and desire perfectionism.  

Here’s what I wonder: what if we gave up the idea of perfectionism, and instead, created intentions and rhythms more sustainable for us to implement? I’m not anti-goals.  I think goals can be super helpful in providing direction, creating new habits, and helping us stay focused. However, I am anti-perfectionism and how that can trap us into not working on goals at all.  We can camp out in the mindset that if we skip a day, or miss a goal we’ve set, the goal is now void, and we give up. Instead, what if we approached goals and the new year in a simpler, more realistic way?  

A commonly used acrostic in creating goals is the word SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This can be a helpful tool to get started in identifying intentions and goals for yourself.  Here’s an example: instead of “I want to be healthier!” try, “I will drink 75 ounces of water each day” (specific, measurable, time-bound).  And then here’s the most important part: if you only drink 30 ounces of water one day, give yourself some grace and remind yourself that perfection isn’t the goal.  Tomorrow is a new day, with the opportunity to reset and adjust.  

On a personal note, one of my intentions for 2025 is to get outside for 1,000 hours.  That averages out to 2.75 hours a day, which hasn’t happened at all so far in January when it’s been frigid!  I’m honestly not sure I’ll hit the mark by December 31, but I don’t really care about that.  What I do care about is creating an intention each day to get outside and enjoy fresh air.  Even on the cloudy, gloomy days, even for 10 minutes.  Because the minutes I spend outside add up, and fresh air does wonders for my mood and energy, even when my eyelashes freeze. 

So as we begin 2025, give yourself some grace. Don't celebrate "Quitters Day" but intentionally decide what goal/s you want to target. The goal: not striving for perfection but for progress and forward momentum. What will you graciously work towards this year?