Here’s a News Year’s Resolution I guarantee you can follow through with:
Save $1
You read that right: Save a dollar. All you need to do is earn a dollar. Stow it away: can be in a piggy bank, swiss bank account, and everything in between. And you’re done!
Wait… But what now?
First off: Congratulations! You’ve now entered the rarified 8% of people who complete their New Year’s Resolutions. Feel free to pat yourself on the back. Enjoy a cookie. Or throw yourself a debauched New Years party.
While these all sound tempting, if you’re like most people once you save that first dollar you’ll probably start thinking:
“Having an extra dollar in the bank is pretty cool, but you know what would be even cooler: $2. In fact, $100 sounds more to my liking.”
If you’ve read this blog before you know I’m a mega fan of making tiny, bold changes in your life. These actions, while small and seemingly trivial, tend to snowball into larger transformations.
I’m not alone in thinking this. Habit Guru James Clear, author of the best seller Atomic Habits, lists “starting with something incredibly small” as the first step to building a habit that lasts.
Zen Habits Blogger Leo Bautista also echoes these sentiments. He says when starting a new habit:
“Make it so easy you can’t say no.”
This year why not follow Leo’s advice and make a resolution that is “so easy you can’t say no”. Target an area of life you want to develop and make your resolution the smallest action that will help you improve.
The $1 example is just for finance. Examples for other common resolutions might be:
If you want to lose weight: Run 1 block
If you want to gain muscle: Do 1 Pushup
If you want to declutter your house: Throw away 1 item
These minor accomplishment trigger the momentum and dopamine that come from following through on a commitment. They also give you a life line when you inevitably slip up later in the year. If you falter two months down the road you have a simple action to come back to.
While you’re co-worker throws in the towel because they fall short of their audacious resolution, you’ll know that anytime you slip up you can begin again by saving a dollar!