As each new year rolls around, there's always a chorus of "new year, new me" going around. For many people, it's easier to set a start date for change at the start of a new year. And that's completely okay. I'm glad people make these goals for the year and are very hopeful and determined to stick to them. But some people don't stick to them, or don't even make them, and that's completely okay, too.
If you have a certain way that you live your life, a certain schedule that you seem to stick to, that's sometimes really hard to break, no matter how much you might want to change it. Especially in the span of a few days, like from the end of December to the beginning of January. For this reason, some people decide to not even make resolutions for the New Year, knowing that it might not be possible to change as much as they wish to in the span of a year.
This is also the reason that some people slip up. For instance, a lot of resolutions typically involve wanting to lose weight, or just to be healthier in general. Sometimes this is a really hard thing to get into if you aren't used to dieting or working out often. In these cases, it's a little easier to accidentally slip up.
It's completely normal if you do. Don't feel bad, or like you won't ever be able to get to where you want to be, just because you had one off day, or maybe a few. Change takes time, sometimes much longer than a few short weeks at the beginning of a new year, or even sometimes longer than 365 days.
The term "New Year's Resolution" can put so much pressure on people. As if they need to meet their goal within the span of 365 days, or else they failed. Sometimes people get so caught up in this term attached to a personal goal that they just abandon it and simply say they'll wait until next year.
This is the reason why I haven't made any actual "New Year's Resolutions" this year. I usually do, saying the same things every time: lose weight, be healthier, learn to manage stress a little better. Then, when I slip up or don't stick to the plan in my head, I convince myself that I will never get there.
So, I tried a different approach this year. Instead, I'm simply making goals for myself. I'm not limiting it to 365 days, because if I do, that pressures me. Instead, I'm going to take each day at a time and make small steps to get to where I want to be. That's a lot less stressful for me. I still get to make my way towards my goals, but I can move at my own pace.
If you feel the same, that's totally fine. You don't have to do what everyone else seems to and make a yearly goal. You can make as many goals for yourself, or you can make none. If you want to change or make progress in some other aspect of your life, you should be able to do that at whatever pace you like.
Don't feel like you have to wait until January 1st to start that journey. And don't feel like it's over as soon as December 31st hits.
I'm proud of those of you who even make these goals for yourself and are determined to stick to them, even if you're not quite ready to start at the beginning of the year. If you are happy and comfortable in your life or simply don't see the point of making goals, I'm proud of you. To those of you who made resolutions and are sticking to them so far, I'm proud of you, too.
Keep doing you, at your own pace.
