Dear Everyone Who Has Ever Existed,

(Because we all need a boost at some point in our lives...)

With the New Year rapidly approaching, we are all suddenly very aware of all the little and big things we have to overcome with the start of a new year. We make plans, resolutions to revolutionize ourselves, and aspire to do all of those big and little things we glossed over last year. We make Pinterest boards with diets to get healthier, pay for gym memberships to get thinner, and make promises to our loved ones we know – somewhere deep down, we will not be able to keep. It is, unfortunately, the nature of the beast. We try harder to come up with ways to better ourselves and our lives within the next year than we do to actually keep up with those promises we made for ourselves. How can we call these new paths for ourselves resolutions if we do not truly work to keep them?

It is not our fault, really. As we all have heard a million times before, too often, life gets in the way. Even if we resolve to slow down and not take part in the rat race of society, we get caught up in the hustle and bustle. The giving sensation and feeling of wanting to start over from the season past thaws along with the fallen snow. Shamefully, we forget this feeling as we do keeping up with our resolutions. I find that the busier and more hectic our lives get, the less motivated we feel to do those things we wanted so badly a few months earlier. We check up on ourselves less, when really, if we want to make a change, we have to make a conscious effort to ensure we are doing all we can to make it happen.

However, you should also know that there are ways to fix your conundrum; there are ways to keep that motivation with you, not just for 2016, but for years to come. You have to be reasonable with your expectations. For instance, instead of trying to get out of debt all at once, as your New Year’s Resolution, try it in small increments. Instead of trying to lose sixty pounds within the month of January, and being disappointed all throughout February, work towards your goal in small doses. Check-off these small goals as you accomplish them – be it on paper, on your phone, or in your mind – and you won’t feel as though the larger goals are so out of reach. Do not overwork yourself. Remember the cliché about Rome not being built in a day. If you take on too much at once, only to find out it can’t all be done, of course you are going to wind up disappointed and unmotivated. Keep the inspiration going by taking on what you can, and leaving the rest up to the luck of the draw. We cannot control every little thing in our lives, and it would be impossible for anyone to expect that of us. Surround yourself with people you can touch and inspire and who can do the same for you; with people who love and admire you, and want to see you succeed. Tasks are much easier to take on when you have a caring support system behind you.

So, my unmotivated friend, I wish to tell you that you are not alone. We all experience burn-out, a lack of incentive. Anyone who says they maintained their New Year’s resolution for the entire three hundred sixty-five days is either lying to you or themselves. We are human, and it is much easier for us to put things off than it is to follow through. Do not ever feel as though you are a failure, or lazy, or like everyone else is doing so much better than you are. You have the capability of succeeding in all you do, as long as you try. Take comfort in knowing that even if you don’t, you always have someone who believes in you.

And above all else, remember: