Why I Don't Have Any New Year's Resolutions
Many people have new year’s resolutions. I have never been the type to do this, and today we’re going to talk about why you should consider not needing to be either.
New Year, New You?
Allow me to lead with the fact that if having a new year’s resolution actually does motivate you to change for the better, I’m not criticizing that. If you are one of the few, rare people that actually sticks to a resolution permanently, then I applaud you. Statistically speaking, very, VERY few people stick with their new year’s resolution to “eat healthier,” “get in shape this year,” leave that bad relationship or job, or any other number of things they need to do. So if you are one of the minority that does or has, I salute you.
The issue I take with this concept is that a depressingly large majority of people who start the new year off with strong, ambitious resolutions lose steam rather quickly. They allow life to get in the way. They start to make excuses. Before they know it, they are right back where they were in December: swearing next year will be different.
Attaching something as important as your health and well being to something arbitrary like the start of a new year is a poor motivation for making it part of who you are and actually changing your lifestyle. In order to actually change as a person, at your core, there needs to be a better reason than simply starting another lap around the sun.
New You, Right Now
Regardless of what you are setting out to do, the important thing is to start it NOW. Don’t wait for something like the new year to kick start your “motivation” (a concept I take serious issue with). Motivation will fail you, especially when it is based on something as fleeting as a holiday.
The best way to initiate any positive change in your life is to do it because it needs to happen in order for you to better yourself. Not because of any schedule, time line, holiday, or other temporary source of motivation. If you know you need to change something about yourself or your life, do it today, right now if possible. Don’t wait for the new year, for next month, or even next week. The longer you wait, the more time you give yourself to back down.
It is also rarely a good idea to rely on “motivation,” as that will always be fleeting. It is far better to develop the DISCIPLINE to do what you need to do to better yourself RIGHT NOW and every day. Once it is developed, discipline will not fail you. It will carry you through the times that you don’t want to. Through the days in the middle of the year when the holidays are a distant memory.
Happy New Year
Happy new year to all of my readers, new, and old. Rather than share any resolutions you made this year, share the resolution you made LAST year and actually stuck to. Let your mental fortitude inspire others.