It's February. How you doin'?

123: Don't you dare give up.

These days, we seem to always be getting divided into camps. Case in point: Around year-end, we get bombarded with two kinds of messages:

• Camp One: The ones all about the new year, new you, goal-setting, rah-rah, let’s go!

• Camp Two: The ones that remind us it’s just an arbitrary date, resolutions don’t work, ease in, go slow.

Used to be, the airwaves were dominated by one camp. But this time ‘round, it felt like they had the same size megaphone, don’t you think?

For nearly two decades, I worked for a company that followed — financially and operationally — a fiscal year ending June 30th. So, mentally, my year started in July. It was kind of cool, actually, because I felt like I had TWO new years. One in July, and then a few months later, I get to do it again. Like a do-over. Like July was a soft launch of my goals, a trial run of some sort.

Now, I’m not with the people revolting against the New Year goal-setting ritual. Nor am I shooting down the idea that any day can be your “new year” and you can decide to set your goals any day of the year. I’m more of a “Just Do It” kinda gal. New Year, Valentine’s Day, Easter. Middle-of-a-sweaty-August day. Any day works. As long as you DO set your goals.

And when I say goals, you can substitute intentions, commitments, or whatever word aligns with your sensibilities. Just do set them. Pick a direction. Set a North Star. Tell your internal GPS, “This is where I want to go,” and pick a route.

It’s February. Those who set New Year resolutions... how you doin’?

Don’t you dare feel guilty if they sorta kinda fizzled out. I applaud you for trying, for telling yourself, “I think I want to be this kind of person this year.” Never ever feel bad for wanting that for yourself — even if you maybe bit more than you could chew and didn’t get very far with it.

Also, there’s no rule that says just because you stopped going to the gym by the third week of January, missed the morning meditations, bummed a ciggy, couldn’t resist and re-downloaded Facebook, what have you… there’s nothing that says you now have to abandon everything and throw your goals out the window.

Just renew. Recommit. Recast. Try again. Or adjust. If it helps, think about it like my July and January New Year do-overs. Make the goals smaller. Micro small even. Or do something different. Recruit a friend to do them with you. Get an accountability partner. Join a challenge. Do whatever you need to do to reconnect with your dreams and (re)set your goals or resolutions or intentions or... you know what I mean.

• • •

I know someone who studiously ignores goal-setting messages, especially in December. She says she doesn’t even want to hear about other people setting goals. When I asked why, she said she felt so much pressure.

One of my role models from afar, best-selling author Joanna Penn (of The Creative Penn), releases two podcast episodes yearly that are a must-listen for me. Her end-of-year review (about how she did with her goals) and another one on January 1st about her new-year goals.

Joanna Penn has a LOT of goals. And over the years, many listeners have lamented that they could never rise to her level of goals. She explains — every year! — she’s a full-time writer, that is her job, and her goals reflect that situation. She reminds everyone that if your goal is much simpler — finish a first draft, outline a novel — it doesn’t matter. You know where you are on your mountain of choice, and there’s no reason to be coming up with goals about hitting the summit when really, the focus should be on getting ready for base camp.

I listen to Joanna Penn because I get a kick out of listening to her goals. It’s like motivation by osmosis. I love hearing her talk about her goals, how excited she is about the mountains she wants to climb. It doesn’t make me want to climb the same mountains. But it makes me joyously and like ants-in-pants lace up my shoes and hike up my chosen hills.

• • •

Look it. If you’re on a roll and hitting your marks, keep going and more power to you! Please let me know so I can feed off your motivation, too. But if January didn’t go as planned, or heck, if you didn’t even make a plan — it doesn’t matter. February is just as good a time as any to renew, reset, or begin for the first time.

Because every day’s a chance to say, “I think I want to be this kind of person” — and then take an honest-to-goodness determined step toward becoming that person. Whether you're still on your first try from January, your second shot in February, or your tenth reset in August — it's never too late to climb your mountain, or molehill, for that matter. And remember, sometimes, the best journeys start with a do-over. 🤗

🏷 Health, Joy & Well-Being

💭 muse

“The decisions of our past are the architects of our present.”
— Dan Brown, Inferno

🍭 you said

We kicked off The Lounge chat the other day, and you’ve got to check out what fellow WAGO readers are saying about the ‘newbie’ things they’d like to try. Here’s a sampling:

Daria Diaz

says she’d love to play the fiddle;

Jane Duncan Rogers

is thinking about whittling (d’ya know what that is?);

Kaarin Marx Smith

would love to take some math classes (more power to her!); and Lynn says paper maché can be a cool thing to give a try.

Do check out the discussion thread and don’t forget to add yours too!

💬 last word

The following quote isn’t really related to the topic in today’s issue, but maybe it is in a way. In any case, I feel it needs to be spread far and wide:

Don’t give in to the lies. Don’t give in to the fear. Hold on to the truth and to hope. — Jim Acosta, journalist

Okay. And for those of us who have fitness and walking-related goals this year. 😉

May the odds be ever in your favor,
Lou Blaser