2023: A year of incremental change?

Happy New Year.  Is it still ok to use the phrase at the beginning of February?  I never know what the statute of limitations is (and to be fair, this piece was originally shared in newsletter form in mid-January).  I’ve got my bases covered, though.  The Lunar New Year recently arrived, so the sentiment is relevant as we welcome the Year of the Rabbit.  Or if observing Tet, an important celebration in Vietnamese culture,  it’s the Year of the Cat--which my feline duo, Cooper and Hudson, like better.  (Honestly though, for them, every year is their year. But I digress).

Each time the earth spins around the sun, we advance the calendar another year. And with it comes the arrival and onslaught of “New year. New you.”  For me it serves as a reminder of all the things that I didn’t do last year, that I get a chance to relive and to try again.  Lose that weight, work on my Mandarin, read for pleasure, go to sleep earlier, set better boundaries between work and life.

But the truth is, it’s “New year. Same me.”  Just because the calendar has changed doesn’t mean I’m any different than I was the day before.  Ok, maybe a day older.  I’m the same guy, but have these desires for change.  For me, the holidays are a chance to reflect, take stock, and think about the road ahead.  And that lends itself to goals, which is reflected in my January 1st tradition of reading “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss, which sets that optimistic trajectory.

This year is different!  I’ve said that too many times before.  Rather than focus on the outcomes (“the what”), I’m spending my time on the process (“the how’).  Two weeks in, and I’m still gently chugging along – all the while knowing that it’s said almost half of resolutions will be abandoned by the end of the month, and 88% will be distant memories come year end.

The desire to lose 10 pounds is a goal, but what will make it last (and not just be a yo-yo exercise phase) is behavior change.  The idea isn’t new, but one I’ve haphazardly put into practice on my own.  This year, I’m experimenting with very small tweaks (rather than wholesale changes), that build over time, and can lead to more sustainable results. These “Atomic Habits” are chronicled in a book of that name by James Clear, and in “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg.  It’s about changing systems (which interestingly relates to how we think about the social change work we are doing).

I was in a cycling class over the weekend, being put through the paces.  Instead of just pedaling faster to increase performance, the instructor encouraged us to think differently and “lift up” on the pedals, not just “push down” harder to “widen the circle of our pedaling.”  With this guidance, he encouraged us to “focus on the small things, and the big things will take care of themselves.”  Deep stuff for a spin session, eh?

Whether this helps me achieve those goals is yet to be seen, but I will carry that mantra with me in all of my systems change work this year.  Onward to a 2023 full of incremental changes.