In 2021, Consider Your Environment

A new year is a fantastic time to start fresh and to change behaviors that no longer serve you. We need not wait for a new year to start new behaviors, but here we are, so let's get after it.

A turning of the page helps fuel the motivation and mindset needed to step into a positive behavior change, but motivation and mindset alone will fall short without the necessary changes to something we often overlook: our environment.

A change in eating habits without first ridding the home of the less-than-healthy foods that speak to us when our energy wanes in the afternoon is a surefire way to quickly stumble in our plans for healthier eating.

Let's not make things harder than they have to be in 2021.

An idea James Clear shared via his blog been on my whiteboard for a few weeks now and has kept me mindful of where my environment promotes positive behaviors and where there is still work to be done.

The more disciplined your environment is, the less disciplined you need to be. Don't swim upstream.

Don't swim upstream. Or framed in a more positive way: set yourself (and your environment) up for success.

What's one positive behavior change you want to make in 2021? Just pick one. Now, how can you make it easier to do that thing? Like...how do you make doing this behavior as easy as possible?

Make sure the things that get in the way of you doing that thing get out of the way now. And make sure your home, your office, or any of your other important spaces help you more consistently practice the behavior that you know will prove fruitful.

Add in a friend or accountability buddy and you're bound to be successful.

Sometimes I think we like the added difficulty, we like to swim upstream. Then, if we fall short, it's okay to say, "Well, that was really hard, I don't blame myself for missing the mark."

Following 2020, we don’t need more added difficulty.

Pick a target for 2021. Be specific, start small, and consider your environment.