The confetti has settled. Reality is back. And that’s okay.
The first few weeks of January often feel quieter. Heavier. Less inspired. At least, that’s how they feel to me.
We rocket into the New Year fueled by holiday energy and optimism, convinced that this will be the year things finally change. The resolutions we make will stick this time. We believe—again—in the magic of a fresh start.
And then, just a few weeks in, the shine fades. Motivation wobbles. Frustration creeps in. We look in the mirror and quietly wonder how we managed to fail so quickly.
But it isn’t failure. It’s being human.
Maybe the problem isn’t a lack of willpower at all. Maybe it’s too much expectation. Maybe we turned our resolutions into a yoke that was never meant to be carried.
Big resolutions—and long lists of them—can feel productive at first. But they often backfire. Instead of committing to one small, manageable change, we set massive goals with tight timelines and rigid rules. We expect perfection. Rain or shine. No excuses.
Overwhelm sets in. And overwhelm creates paralysis. Trying to do all the things often leads to doing nothing at all.
This is usually the moment when Art gently steps in.
Where I tend to reflect (and sometimes be hard on myself), he simplifies. When I’m stuck in my head, he finds a way to ground things—or make me laugh. He has a much more practical, sometimes blunt way of looking at overwhelm and New Year expectations.
Here’s how Art says it—no overthinking required:
“Don’t analyze until you’re paralyzed. Go with your heart. Your heart is normally right. And remember, even though football season is sadly ending, the sun will rise again in September.” 😉
(The end of football season is, indeed, a time of mourning in this house.)
His point is simple:
One thing at a time.
Stop trying to fix your whole life at once. You don’t need a master plan, and you don’t need perfect motivation. Progress happens when small, doable actions are repeated over time.
All you need is one kind thing you can do for yourself today.
That “one thing” might look like:
- taking a nap
- saying no to something that drains you
- starting again—without judgment
- watching a great comedy and remembering how to laugh
Small steps are how meaningful, lasting change actually happens.
As Art says, “Go with your heart. Your heart is normally right.” When you do, you may start to see that your humanness isn’t a weakness—it’s your strength.
Choose one thing. You decide what that is.
And then let yourself off the hook. Tomorrow is still waiting, no matter what happens today.
