It is the beginning of December. A month that is off-the-charts busy for most! From parties, to concerts, to shopping, to decorating, to baking, and wrapping, mixed in with all of the other everyday expectations, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and get into the mindset of “surviving” the month.

January breathes new life into our worlds. January is the month when people generally press the reset button, examine their lives, make a plan, and try to stick with it. But…

Why do we wait until January? Why do we go through the motions for a whole month (or longer) before we start to shift or make changes? Can we be more intentional, right now? Can we take a closer look at what we want and how we can get there, right now? Can we say no to some things in order to say yes to ourselves, right now? Can we change our mindset to see the possibilities instead the barriers?

Do It Now – at school

I’m going to be honest… November just ended and with that, so did our first round of report cards and conference nights. As my colleagues and I sat together to plan out December, we were all looking forward to a slower paced month where we didn’t have to worry about excessive assessments and preparation for busy evenings to showcase learning. We were looking forward to more flexibility, and more fun and joy with our students. Having said that though, we knew that this didn’t mean it was time to fill our month with busy work. We wanted learning to continue in meaningful ways. We could’ve sat back and let the business of December seep into our classrooms, but we didn’t. Before long, we had a plan that included an emphasis on social emotional learning, many fun activities to develop critical thinking and problem solving during #hourofcode week, a pirate day, and a stem project where students will get to build gingerbread houses. FUN! We didn’t wash the month away, we are not counting down the days until the break, we are looking forward to every single day!

Do It Now – at home

Last year, I struggled with my health. I’m convinced that it was mostly due to stress and I knew I needed to manage it better this year. One of the things I started doing is running. This helps my mind, body, and soul. It’s not the first time I’ve started running, but it’s the first time that it’s lasted for more than just a couple of weeks. I didn’t wait until January, or for a New Year resolution to get up and running (literally), I did it now! The key for me to keeping this up, and the reason I believe I’ve been more successful this time than all of the previous times, is…

realistic goals

There, I said it! Not over the top gigantic goals… simple, attainable goals. I lead a busy life… I work full time and have four kids. So, my simple and attainable goal is to:

• run for 10-15 minutes per day
• don’t miss two days in a row
• that’s it

10-15 minutes is always doable! I don’t need a huge chunk of time. Even if I’m feeling exhausted, I know I can get through 10 minutes, what’s 10 minutes? And the don’t miss two days rule… I never have to think further than tomorrow. Can I run tomorrow? If not, I better run today! Easy. Simple. And it’s working, for me. I am doing it right now.

Do It Now – your turn

Here is my challenge to you… don’t wait until January. Don’t even wait until next week. Make every day, every hour, and minute count, both in your work and at home. Whatever your goals are, just…

Do It Now.

*This post was inspired by the song Do It Now by Ingrid Michaelson. I hope it will lift you up and inspire you, like it did for me. Take a listen…