New year, new me?

Maybe you have heard the phrase, or maybe you have heard it yourself. New year = New me. Do you really believe that phrase? Does the turn of a calendar year really make a difference in how you live your life? Are you still working on your new year’s resolutions, or have you given up on them three weeks into the new year? What are you going to do about it?

I purposefully decided to start taking classes at Pure Barre in December so that I could not use it as a new year’s resolution. I wanted to do this to continue to remember that it is okay to start something new at any time. Yes, it is convenient to try starting something new with a calendar year to help you track it, but you can track progress in other ways.

As a kid in art class in middle school, I always hated days that we would paint. I thought I was so bad at it. Now as an adult I find that I really enjoy painting by number — at first it seemed silly, but I had done a few of the wine and painting events that my pictures did not turn out horrible so I gave it a try at home. When I have to be creative with writing choreography, I like to also use other creative outlets that are not just my work. Painting has become one of the creative outlets that I now enjoy doing. Progress here took many years off of painting, and a little liquid encouragement to make me see that even if it is not perfect it is still art.

For a dance teacher, I learned that I was not in the best shape. My first class at Pure Barre in December made me want to throw up. I knew that I needed to get back in shape to both become a better teacher, and to move my body more since I work a full time desk job . I have now completed 8 classes in my first month. I am proud of myself and am starting to be able to do more and take less breaks during class. Have I seen progress in losing weight? No. Does that mean that I am not making progress? No. I am continuing to do more and challenge myself more, and my body is amazing for doing all that it does! No matter if I lose weight or stay the same size as I continue to move it, my body is stronger each and every class. Progress is slow while I continue to enjoy life as it is now rather than seeking instant changes. True progress takes time and sometimes looks more like maintaining rather than gaining or losing.

Over the holidays, I was fortunate to be able to work from home. I was crushing it with housework and cooking for myself. Since getting back to work in person, I am no longer crushing it… I am trying with everything I have to just make it through and take care of what needs attention one day at a time. Yes, it may be easier since I live alone, but also that means it all falls on me without anyone to help me. So today, that looked like fixing up my reading/ writing nook. I still have a few Christmas things to put away, but I at least have this nook ready to make up for my hour of writing that I missed last weekend. Then I will work on the hour of writing for my day off today, too. I gave myself grace last weekend for all that I was able to complete, I knew that I would be able to spend another hour somewhere else in my week to write.

If I have learned anything as a ballet teacher is that progress takes time. Sometimes we work really hard to get a skill to work out on day 1 of learning it, and the best thing that we can do is stop to let our brains digest it. The next week or two we come back and are crushing it like we didn’t spend any time struggling with it at all. Other times, I just have to use a different way to explain it for the “click” to happen where it makes sense. Yet, other times we do not see progress for weeks and then all of a sudden our legs are more turned out and more flexible as it took 3 months for progress to be noticeable from when we started. Life is just the same. Even though society is obsessed with quick fixes, quick progress, and instant change. The best progress is made over time with patience and consistency.

It is up to you to decide if you will start now, or wait for the new year to come around again to get started.

“Don’t postpone joy until the end of the journey. Live it every step of the way.” – Unknown on Pinterest

“Remember, being happy doesn’t mean you have it all. It simply means you’re thankful for all you have.” – Unknown on Pinterest

“I don’t care what people think of me. I’m busy. I’ve got magical sh*t to do.” – Unknown on Pinterest