On Wednesday, February 14th, the Catholic season of Lent began. “Lent is a 40-day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday. It’s a period of preparation to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection at Easter” (USCCB). For most Catholics, Lent is a period to fast from something that is hindering your relationship with God. However, it can also be a time to add on something that will benefit your relationship with God. Nevertheless, if we do give up something that deters our connection with God, what can we do to make sure we stick to our promise? And how do we thrive and flourish when we give up something we like or do often?
Being a Catholic for over 15 years, growing up I always gave up something for Lent. As a young kid, it would be something small, like I wouldn’t eat my favorite candy, or I would play fewer games. Now as a teenager, I am beginning to give up things that have become essential in my life. Yet, the tips still stay the same. In my opinion, there are five pieces of advice I can give to those who are giving up something they feel they struggle with every day.
Firstly, be extremely specific about what you are giving up. For example, if you simply state, “I’m giving up social media,” it can be easy to fall into the habit of using social media during Lent. This makes you less likely to accomplish your goal because you don’t know exactly what you are giving up. Instead, be very intentional with what you want to do during Lent. Change “I’m giving up social media” to “I will only use Instagram and Snapchat for an hour every day”. This makes it more likely that you will go through with your goal because you know exactly what you are doing.
Second, write the goal down. Just like it’s more probable to remember a math formula if you wrote it in your notebook, you are more likely to remember your goal when you write it down. Writing helps keep us focused on the thoughts we’re having.
Third, take that piece of paper on which you just wrote your Lent goal and place it somewhere you see often. This could be your bedroom wall, bathroom mirror, near your car keys, car, computer, or phone case. Doing this simple action helps you remember your goal every day. You are less likely to not meet your goal if you know what it is and see it every day.
The last two pieces of advice are optional and depend on the preference of who is creating the Lenten goal. For Lent, it can be beneficial to have an accountability partner and a visible representation of your success with your goal. An accountability partner is someone who has the same goal as you and is working in similar ways as yourself to accomplish the goal. This person is supposed to help keep you accountable, hence the name accountability partner. This promotes an environment where you are more inclined to achieve your goal because you have someone doing it with you. Generally, people feel that when they have an accountability partner they have someone to talk to about their wins and struggles, with their goals, and can relate to their feelings with someone who is going through the same thing. Personally, accountability partners help me realize that my goal isn’t far-fetched and is possible to complete. It’s like the saying “If they can, I can too.” Lastly, a visual representation of your success might aid in the completion of your goal. Seeing how many days you’ve achieved your goal motivates you to keep going.
Remember that the way you achieve your goals differ from others and success is subjective. However, these are my tips on how to do Lent like a BOSS!
Sources
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. “What Is Lent? | USCCB.” Www.usccb.org, 2024, www.usccb.org/prayer-worship/liturgical-year/lent.