Happy New Year! It is officially 2017, and suddenly, anything is possible again. The turning of a new calendar signifies a new start to become a stronger, smarter, healthier, or more confident version of yourself.
The New Years is filled with optimism and hope, and it is a redo unlike any other that allows us to forget the happenings of the past year, and look ahead to the possibilities of a new one.
But as I’m sure most of you understand, the New Years’ Resolutions we so excitedly propose for ourselves, often go unfulfilled or unfinished. Is this because we are setting our goals to high, or unable to find the mechanisms to change?
For one thing, change is hard. I mean, we welcome the New Year with open arms, but to physically and mentally change ourselves is the ultimate challenge. Losing weight, becoming more patient, or learning a new language all takes time and hard work; two things that become fleeting when we are submerged in the stresses of the real world.
While the success of your resolution is definitely dependent on its level of attainability, all resolutions (whether far-fetched or realistic) require us to change our mindset, and work tirelessly to make habits a new lifestyle.
You may feel like conjuring up a new resolution is fruitless, because maybe there’s no reason to change, or you may feel compelled to create a new resolution, only to find it unrealistic to your current lifestyle. Either way, setting goals and sticking to the goals is essential. Even if you are happy with yourself, and feel content with who you are, we should always strive to be greater and better people each day and each year.
Sticking to a weight loss regimen, striving to get a higher GPA next semester, and getting a promotion at your job are each difficult goals to attain, but they are not impossible. We have the tendency to shrug things off, or make excuses when things get hard, but why not decide that this year is going to be different.
I am guilty of this myself, and I’m tired of waiting each year to be proactive in accomplishing the goals I set in the beginning of the year. We are much stronger than we even think or know. We can juggle and handle loads that often feel overwhelming or crushing. The truth is you just need the confidence in yourself to realize you can accomplish any goal you set. Establish realistic ways to accomplish your goal, and record your progress throughout the year to hold yourself accountable. 2017 is entirely ahead of us, and we have the freedom and choice to decide how it is going to go, and who we are going to be each and every day of it.
