This afternoon I was walking down the hall on my way to the lunchroom when I had a “philosophical moment.”

Whenever I’m having a good, productive day and I’m feeling good about my decisions, I’ll give myself little “pep-talks” as a way to encourage my good behavior.

I don’t know how your subconscious gives “pep talks”, but mine likes to pretend that I’m giving a motivational speech and I have to explain the reasoning behind my every move to the audience.

No, seriously. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve surprised myself.

I’ll be walking down the hall, completely zoned out, talking to myself inside my head where my pretend motivational speech is taking place. I’ll be spewing “advice” from the top of my head when I suddenly stop and think, “Woah, that was a good point. Where did that come from? Wow, Viv, you’re so smart! Who needs Tony Robbins when you have yourself?” And occasionally my ego likes to stop by.

This is what happened this afternoon. Usually, after this “moment” occurs, I immediately feel this urge to share this information with others.

So, here’s my philosophical thoughts of the day…

I thought for a long time that my favorite month was October being that it’s the month of my birthday and that it’s during my favorite season. However, I’m realizing that my favorite month is actually January.

Yes. January is a time where you see people making ridiculous resolutions that they’ll later slack off on, but January is also a time where you will find real people who really want to better themselves.

Yes. For most people, this spontaneous determination wears off. Nonetheless, I still think it’s a beautiful sight to behold.

Tony Robbins once said that in order to become our true self, one must be spontaneous.

I think January is when you really start to see who people really are.

It’s usually around this time when those New Years’ resolutions start to fade. As I thought more about this, I couldn’t help but think about one thing:

When people fall off the wagon, why don’t they just get back on?

Their ego.

I don’t think people take the phrase “no one is perfect” as seriously as they should. Because the truth is, you’re going to fall off the wagon one way or another. You can’t avoid it.

No, no you can’t.

With this mentality, it gives a new perspective.

If you plan on falling off the wagon, it’s easier to get back on. It’s probably more likely that you’ll stay committed to your goals if you approach it that way.

It’s not about how many times you fall off the wagon, it’s the number of times that you recognize your defeat and still decide to get up and move forward.

Also known as: not giving up.

I’m sure you’ve heard of it.

The problem is that people make such big, life-changing resolutions that once they inevitably fall off the wagon, they feel defeated. Their ego is hurt. They don’t see a point in moving forward because they believe it’s a lost cause.

Well, with that attitude it is.

Bottom line:

Don’t make ridiculous goals.

Adjust your mindset.

…and GET AFTER IT.