Enter January.  Sure, it’s still cold, and it’s still dark.  But for many of us, it represents a clean slate, the chance to start our whole year on the right track.  Instead of seeing it as 0’dark thirty, morning is our chance to make good on the promises we make ourselves.  Instead of frozen, the air is crisp.

Here are some other ways you can reframe your thoughts and feelings so that you don’t let the simple bumps in the road veer you off your path.

Woe is rarely me.
We all feel sorry for ourselves from time to time.  The trick is to keep the pity from becoming a party.  A flat tire on the way to work happens to just about everyone.  But it rarely happens to you.  Keep that in perspective, and find a positive way to look at it—that it happened close to the gas station, that your child wasn’t in the car, that the mechanic was friendly and had a cup of coffee for you.

Don’t use the occasional moment—or even day—as an excuse to fall back into bad habits and eat a cookie!  It won’t do anything to ease the problem; in fact, you’ll wind up feeling worse about the flat and the fat!

How will I do this?
We all think from time to time that we won’t accomplish our goals, whether they’re for weight loss or relationships or careers.  But instead of complaining that you can’t—that you have too much to lose, that you’ve been overlooked for a promotion before—ask yourself how you’ll be able to best accomplish the tasks.  

Focus on ways to make reaching your goal easier.  Would weight loss be easier if you didn’t go out on Tuesday nights?  Take a break until you’re stronger, or suggest a new place to get together, somewhere far from caloric temptations. Meet your bestie for a pedicure or a movie.  And tell your friend why.  Chances are good she’ll understand and empathize!

What did I learn?
If you’ve ever found yourself in a tough spot or made a wrong decision, you’re in some good company.  Mistake makers comprise 100% of us!  And that’s a good thing.  Mistakes help us learn and grow and reexamine our strategies for success.