The first day of the year is always one of my favorite yoga classes.

People slumber into our studio tired and hungover, and yet, still absolutely committed to starting their year off on the right foot. Or the left foot. Or both.

It’s an inspiring day for me. The room is always crowded, full of old friends and eager new faces, all of whom want to gain a new wave of momentum as the year kicks off.

Meanwhile, all those dopey goal-setting articles come out at the beginning of each new year. Reporters tell us that seventy some odd percent of adults who make annual fitness resolutions give up within a few months, which only makes us think we should just give up and realize that we’re powerless to alter our body mass index in any way, shape, or form.

Personally, though, yoga was different for me.

Unlike other fitness regimens or healthy practices, it was astounding how easy it was to stick with it. Showing up and sweating out the postures quickly became a must, not a should. It became a ritual that reflected my standards and deeply held values.

And as a result of that frame, yoga became the thing that wasn’t worth missing.

Lesson learned if you want to start the year off on the right foot, or the left foot, as it were, ignore the articles and news reports forecasting the doom and gloom of resolution abandonment. That’s all just noise.

Keep your head down. Figure out what your standards are, create rituals around them, and find at least one other person to join the journey with you.

You got this.

How many of your goals are driven by your most important values?