Truly, 2015 has by far been the longest, least favorite year of my short life. Although I’m sure I’m not the only one ready for a fresh start, a new year doesn’t exactly mark a magical pause in time. Nonetheless, there is some magic in the start of a new year -- we regain our strength and confidence and muster up the courage to change anything of our choice, with the perfect excuse to do so. Think about it: We all bite our fingers and twiddle our thumbs, waiting to find the perfect benchmark to change something in our lives that we’re unhappy with, because, well, change takes courage. It’s nearly impossible to just pick up and start jogging every day and begin a healthier lifestyle (good for you if it’s that easy!) Most of us need some big sign from the universe to make a switch go off in our brains, telling us it’s really time to make this change. So every year, we take the biggest change we’ve been waiting to make and finally gain enough momentum and courage to change our lives -- no excuses.
December, “the most wonderful time of the year,” also provides us the perfect excuse to relax and reflect on the year we’ve had. Maybe this gives us time to contemplate and reconsider our priorities, thus deciding what part of our lives we need to change most. We spend time with family, or just with ourselves, enjoying the time and not pressuring ourselves to make a huge lifestyle change. We use this time to relax and gain the strength to modify our lives in the new year.
The new year is a prime opportunity to revamp ourselves and be even better than we were before -- keep climbing. Many of us are under the impression that the new year gives us the chance to completely reinvent ourselves and wipe our hard drives clean of who we used to be. In that, we forget how important it is to remember where we’ve been and the obstacles we have faced along our journey. Some things we don’t want to remember, that’s for sure, but all of our experiences have led us to this very moment, making us who are you right now.
2015 has left many of us broken, yearning to pick up the pieces in the upcoming year. It has left some our sights set turning our lives around, with the hope for a better future. And a lucky few are left content and crossing their fingers for peace to remain for 12 months longer. Wherever you are, remember where you’ve been. Use this benchmark as the greatest excuse to make the change you’ve been waiting for. There’s no better day than today, in the first month of 2016.
