Jan. 1 always seems like an interruption to me. There I am, clipping along the winter, only to be assaulted by a million people saying right then is the time to restart life, establish new habits, start new goals. And I’m over here mid season-stride, wondering why I have to pause to do something new at a time that feels so unnatural.
But every August? That’s a different story. I catch myself making new goals, new plans. “Stop that crazy talk!” I used to tell myself. “This isn’t the time for such things. We do that in January.”
Listen to me: we don’t have to do that in January. Beyond the flipping of one calendar year to another, taking the to start fresh in January makes no sense. Why would we think powering, through the holidays, exhausting ourselves with merry making and then coming up with a bunch of new goals that we won’t be able to keep is a good idea?
Maybe, just maybe, we should do new things in September or lat August instead.
Now is the time to start an outdoor habit. Spend time outside every single day for a year starting now. What are you waiting for?
The first few times I started new goals in September it was mostly by accident. My HumansOutside365 challenge? I started that Sept. 1, 2017. My dry year? I started that in mid-August, 2019.
And this year I’m trying to close the “rings” on my Apple Watch, which track standing at least 1 minute for 12 hours every day, exercising at least 30 minutes and moving at least 550 calroies, every day for a year, starting Aug. 1 (although just how reasonable that goal is given that I’m about to have hip surgery remains to be seen. I’m still going to try for it).
I’m not the only one who feels that September is the perfect time for new goals. I’ve heard Gretchin Rubin talk about this. I’ve heard Brene Brown talk about this.
September is a perfect time for a fresh start. Forget January. Join me in making September the new year. Don’t worry about a specific date. Start now. Start today.
Now is the perfect time to start spending time outside every single day. Want a way to track it?
