The new year is just around the corner, and that means that everyone is going to try to make a change in their life. Some will say they’ll actually go on a diet this year, others promise to work out more and some say they’ll break a bad habit. This is all good, and yes, absolutely possible. But their’s also a problem with the sentiment, “new year, new me.”
Change is hard. Really, really hard. That’s why a lot of people stay stuck, whether it’s in a job, a town, or their marriage, some people just stay stuck because changing is hard and it hurts too much. Yet, when the change of the year rolls around, we all have this dreamy eyed perspective that suddenly everything will work out, just because it’s January first again.
I wish it worked that way—that we all got to start over at the beginning of the year, if we wanted to. I wish that change was just a switch that we could turn on and off, so that when I tell myself that I’ll run everyday that I’ll actually do it.
But here’s the truth about change: it’s like remolding yourself. It’s like melting down your substance so that it doesn't have a real shape anymore, and picking out a new shape for it to be. It’s like trying to find where the right puzzle piece goes, but for a while it was crammed in the wrong spot and now it’s a little broken. The truth about change is that it’s one of the most difficult things a person can do.
And not only is change very difficult, but it’s also a long and tiring process. You may think that you’ve changed, but then you have a bad night at work and you’re right back to stress eating all of the snacks in your pantry. To truly, actually change means to be self aware of a problem and make the active decision to not do what you’ve always done before. It’s easier when it’s a simple habit of biting your finger nails, or even trying to work out more. But the process of trying to change a negative fragment of your character takes years, and there is often many set backs.
This doesn't meant that we shouldn't try to change; go on diets, work out more, and definitely break that bad habit. These are all good and positive changes. Change is crucial to growth, especially at younger ages. It’s much easier to change between the ages of 20-35 rather than trying to change your life at 50.
So take a pledge to a new you at the beginning of the year, but know that while it’s a long road, it’s always worth it in the end.
