Get Started On Your Resolutions: Why You Don't Need A New Year For A New You
We are lazy people.
Let me rephrase that: We have a general inclination towards laziness. There, that’s a little less offensive.
However, since there is this general inclination towards laziness, I shouldn’t expect much backlash for being offensive. After all, being offended takes energy; you actually have to do something to express your anger.
So, I guess I can feel safe sticking with my initial assessment: We are lazy people.
You might read this and feel annoyed, or angry even. You think to yourself, “I should comment on this article and express my annoyance with this d-bag.” But then you realize that you have some emails to write, friends to text and blogs to browse.
In the busyness of your life, your annoyance falls by the wayside and you never take the time to comment and tell me how I offended you were by my calling you lazy.
Does that sound about right?
That's certainly what happens to me. I think of something that seems like a good idea and then never follow through on it because I'm "too busy."
Every year I decide to make a big change in my life: run every morning, read 50 books, learn a new language, reconnect with old friends, etc.
Every year, by this point (if not sooner), those resolutions have gone the way of Lindsay Lohan’s acting career: straight down the toilet.
When I realize I didn’t keep my resolution, I get sad for a moment and think to myself, “Well I guess I’ll just have to try again next year.”
We do this all the time. We say we’ll start waking up early next week, we’ll start exercising after we finish this project or we’ll start eating better after finals week.
Here’s some food for thought, however: There is nothing stopping you from recommitting to your resolutions right now. Just because you lost your winning streak doesn’t mean you can’t start a new one.
If you're like me, you're tired of losing and you're tired of failing to keep your resolutions. This year I decided to do something different; I chose 12 separate resolutions, one for each month.
Sometimes it’s difficult to do something continuously for a whole year, but one month? I can do that. I can commit myself to something for 30 days, develop new habits four weeks at a time and start over every time I finish (or fail) a challenge.
Creating that sense of urgency is the key to making any change in your life, and the results can be incredible.
So far I have read 43 books, completed two levels of Rosetta Stone (Ich kann etwas Deutsch spreche), gotten in the habit of meditating daily, written four chapters of a novel and much more, all in just the first six months.
What I've learned from this experience (aside from how to order several different kinds of alcohol in German) is the power of starting now.
It might seem obvious; we Millennials want everything now. However, while we tap our feet in impatience, we are also startlingly adept at waiting until it is almost too late to act. In the long run, that’s just not going to cut it.
If you, like many people, realize you have not fulfilled your New Year's resolutions, you might decide to just try again next year.
In my opinion, next year is too far away, and even next week is too far away. If you want to make a change, start now.
For those of you who skipped to the end of the article after reading the headline, let me summarize: Waiting sucks.
I'm not endorsing pre-marital sex, underage drinking or running red lights. But for some of the better things in life, like getting healthy, spending time with family or pursuing love, you need to start now.
Life is too short to wait.
Photo Courtesy: Tumblr
