Every typical New Years resolution revolves around the goal to eat healthier, lose weight, exercise more, and achieve that "new year, new me" in the coming year.
Absolutely nothing is wrong with any of what was listed in my introduction, but all of those goals should be something we strive for every day in which we don't need to wait until the ball drops at midnight for a fresh start... that new beginning. Every day is a new opportunity to improve yourself and set a new goal or work towards a goal that's already been set.
I am not going to be partaking in making a New Years resolution this 2017... or ever. I think the concept of a New Years resolution is a nice idea in getting people to actively goal-set, but how many of us actually stick to the goals we make on January 1st?...
...just 8% of us...
"But for all the good intentions, only a tiny fraction of us keep our resolutions; University of Scranton research suggests that just 8% of people achieve their New Year's goals."
A very small number of us cross that finish line meeting our New Years resolutions by the end of the new year. But, the question is: Why do such a small number of us struggle with goal setting and how does the small number of people succeed?
I can use my experience from being a human in this century to answer that question... because we are all too busy! There is so much on our plates of what people expect of us in combination with what we expect of ourselves; I do not know how all of us are able to wake up every morning and go.
Daily life: Athletes. Students. Part-time or full-time jobs. Parenting. Running errands. Side jobs. Being a husband or wife to your loved one. Socializing. Homework. Extra work outside of your job. Filling up the gas tank. Social media. Grocery shopping. Catching up with friends. Family time. Hitting the gym. Cooking. Meal prepping. Minds constantly thinking. Taking care of your pets. Looking over your non-existent calendar last minute remembering you had made plans and need to rush. Cleaning. Finding time for eating and sleeping. Keeping a smile on your face. And most of all... going throughout your daily routines wondering when you will find time for yourself.
How do we do it all? The truth is... we do the bare minimum, not all. We have too much in life we conform ourselves to keep up with. A phone in one hand and a coffee in the other at most hours of the day. Phone to connect with all the people you know- for social and work purposes as well as the needs to satisfy boredom to make time go faster. And a cup of coffee (or two or three or four) to keep you awake through it all. Or a Red Bull. Depends.
Don't lie to yourself; we all do our bests and give the best we can in what we do, but we can rarely finish what we started to the extent as hoped. We live in a country in which...
..."Americans Check Their Phones 8 Billion Times a Day"
Until we decrease our existence in the social world, we won't fully exist enough in the real world.
Stop conforming to what 'everybody else is doing'. And start accepting yourself: your values, your beliefs, your hobbies, your needs, your passions, your body, your wisdom, your knowledge, your capabilities. Continue to find out who you are.
In every year and every day, we will strive to improve our mental and physical health. To improve our relationships with family and friends. To take things seriously. To be kind. To not let anyone tell us something is impossible. To believe in ourselves and one another.
In the New Year, those goals should all be in the back of our minds: a daily goal we will live up to every day, not just waiting until the refreshment of a new year's beginning.
"Happy New Year"...
