It’s Dec. 31, the last day of the year. The clock strikes 11:59 p.m. and the people around you are counting down from 60. Fifty-nine, 58, 57...the couple to the right of you is giddy and holding onto one another, smiling ear to ear. Forty-five, 44, 43, the group of friends on your left are screaming the numbers counting down on beat with each second. And with 30 seconds left till the New Year, your stomach feels like it's dropping. You're excited just like your surrounding peers, yes, but 20, 19, 18 and it’s a lot to take in. You’re nervous for what's to come and you don't know why. Fifteen, 14, 13... The minute the countdown hits zero, the ball will drop and it'll be a new year. You’ll have no choice but to let go of last year and start this year, taking every memory you can process through and storing it in the vault in your head called the past. The good, the bad, and the ugly you wish you could forget, will all be a part of last year.
It's the start of something new (sing the "High School Musical" song now, please) and to many, the new year brings fun; a party of wearing funky sunglasses, laughing along with your friends, and getting down on the dance floor. But it also brings promises. Promises of fun times to come by reminiscing on what happened this year and remembering the resolutions you couldn't seem to tackle the prior year. I mean, chances are everyone's first word they say every year is happy (the first sentence you ever say is HAPPY new year). At the same time, however, chances are slim of following through for even the strongest human being who doesn't have an ounce of procrastination in the bloodstream. Why? To me, new year's resolutions are made because then seems like the right time for them to “have to be made,” not “want to be made.”
Year after year, we’re thrown in the continuous cycle of “new year, new me.” The truth is, you're still the same old you. You could go through heck and back and you'll same be the same you that walked into the battle. You've just come out tougher and stronger. The key idea besides those though, is that you came out with a new perspective. Towards life, finding happiness, accomplishing goals, and doing what's right, you have a new mindset. Nowhere in the moments you spend have you grown a new body or a new mind. You still have the same beautiful self you stepped onto planet Earth’s soil with; the same soul you breathe with. You’re just growing and gaining the mindset and skills you want to hold. That's what the new year seems to bring.
In those two minutes into the new year, the precious time from midnight to 12:02, you feel funny; your nerves settle and suddenly everything seems calm. This year, spend those two minutes looking around and taking it all in. Chances are you already do this. Those two minutes are crucial. They're the start of what's to come. Realize that every day will not be your golden day but that doesn't mean it has to be necessarily a terrible day. Remember that the off days make the on days just that much better; that you can't have sunshine without a little rain. And with that, discover that this is your story. These next 365 days are yours to make what you want of them. This next chapter is a clean slate towards your lifelong book and you have the opportunity to make it the best chapter in your eyes yet. Don't let someone else write your story. Time is short but it's in your hands. And maybe, just maybe, you won't be able to achieve the small resolutions and goals you want to, but have faith that sooner or later, with the right mindset, you will. You'll crush them because the old you is a fighter and a strong one at that. And this year, you'll believe more in yourself and your path, wherever that may lead you.
You see though, we don't have to wait until the time turns to midnight on Dec. 31 to change our mindsets to achieve what we’ve always wanted. You can do it right now, in the next five minutes, or even next week. The new year sounds like an awesome time to start fresh but so does every morning and so does every minute. It's never too late if you truly believe. You spent at least seven years believing in the Tooth Fairy, you can spend the next few minutes convincing yourself to get moving. The strong goal thinker you are on Jan. 1 is the same person you are every day, you just don’t envision it the same each and every day like you can.
So why start during all the commotion of the next year? Start when you're ready. But if you're asking me, you're ready now. Don't wait to change what you've always wanted to change. Spend this New Year already started on your goals because let's face it, the early bird gets the worm. And you’ll be happy to see the results earlier than you expected.
Dreams only work because you do. Why put everything you’ve thought of accomplishing on hold
because that one day out of the year hasn’t arrived yet?
Stop waiting. Get started.
