Have you ever noticed that everyone seems to have a failed new year’s resolution and not one that stuck? Its not always because they don’t care, it’s that there is an unspoken feeling of both societal pressure and lack of structure. Plus, a lot are unrealistic and just forgotten a few months later. If you have a whole year to do something, you’re not going to do it. There’s this mindset where you have so much time, so you do it for a little bit, thinking you’ll be better later and then end up rushing in December – if you even remember at all.

But going by seasons?

You’re setting yourself up for success. Every calendar will say the day of the new season, or you can do a quick Google search. It gives you the structure needed to help the job get done (think like in grade school) and end up boosting confidence because you can plan it into your schedule and see regular motions.

Think about it. Each season is 6 weeks. Instead of an infinite timeline, you have this small measurable time to get used to doing something and keep at it. If it’s a short-term goal, awesome, you’ve finished. If it’s long-term, you’ve already made big moves or formed a habit! Since the timeline is shorter it’s easier to stay consistent and the accomplishment is motivation enough to keep going.

With that being said, the goal this season is to switch out the front door.

(Don’t mind the paper and tape on the floor, I just was painting at the time)

Our front door is one of those generic white front doors with the shitty gold round doorknob. Heat escapes, which means we spend more on heating and cooling, which is producing more bullshit in the environment. The whole door has to go, but our first reaction is baby steps.

So obviously the first step is to buy a new doorknob, right? We got the nice kind with the little thumb push handle and a deadbolt.  We’re planning on getting a smart doorbell later. The current one is fine… (its basic.)

Our friend has a tool that basically punches out a perfect hole for a doorknob, and the new knob has a deadbolt which our current does not. The plan was to put the new knob onto the old door and go from there.

Listen.

We used the tool, and it smelled funny but what do I know?

It went through…and that’s how we found out that it’s not a wood door. The door is two sheets of metal painted white with Styrofoam in the middle. Which…I guess explains the smell.

Within a week of us finding that out, we were yard saling and these people had this ratty old door in a junk pile. My sister, Maurin and I couldn’t stop staring at it.

We got the door for free, and it just so happens to be the exact measurements we needed and it opened in the same direction. The door is solid wood aside from the top half, which is diamond cutout windows with intact glass. The glass is extremely dirty but not scratched! The wood on the other hand is a different story. Part of the wood is splintering. And one side was painted red at some point…and white before that. Needless to say, this door is going to be work.

None of us have restored an old wooden door before so Im excited to see how it turns out. No matter what, im pretty sure anything will be better than what we have. Plus, I mean we already punched a hole in it, so were in it to win it at this point.

Ill check back in and follow up how we’ve done and what we’ve been up to. Whether the goal is reached or not, any progress is a step forward. Sometimes there’s just a few more steps than usual. My challenge to you is to narrow your goal to one thing that bothers you on a regular basis. Set yourself a goal to do that thing or make that change. You don’t have to be perfect; you just have to allow yourself to take that step towards what you want.