Here we are, folks - the beginning of 2017. People are counting down the final hours of this year of tragedy and they're putting their efforts towards making 2017 a year worth remembering for much more positive reasons than the things 2016 will be remembered for. People of all ages are celebrating - celebrations ranging from kids falling asleep at 10PM, to families watching the ball drop in New York City both in person and from the comfort of their homes, to people celebrating with their friends and loved ones. All of us ring in the new year in different ways. While you're chugging your wine, kissing your sweetheart, or sleeping - I simply want to know what you're going to do with your new year.
The trend is that every person looks at a new year and makes a resolution (or ten). This year we're all going to lose 10 pounds, start eating healthier, be kind to the people around us. We're going to stop letting things of the past bother us. We're going to save money so we can go on that dream trip to Hawaii that we've always dreamt of. This year, we're going to make all the moments count.
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All of those things are wonderful resolutions and things that a lot of us think we need. We set challenges for ourselves to accomplish throughout the year, and that's truly a remarkable thing.
However...
How many of us make a New Year's resolution that is simply... to live?
I know, it seems so simple, but sit back and think about it for a minute. We're about to start a new year. We're leaving a year that has been filled with pain, worry and a constant fear that another bad thing is going to happen. It's only natural that we plan the extent of next year and the feelings that are going to come with it. It's only human that we're so eager to make the next year better than this one.
What if this year - instead of making resolutions for the entire year, we made a resolution for the first day? Instead of deciding that over the course of the next few months that we're going to do all these things we've tried to do and consistently failed - let's all just decide to live the very first day of the new year. When we go to bed that night - let's decide to live the next day we wake up again.
I found myself struggling with a lot of things around Christmas. I asked a close friend of mine, "How do you keep going?" The answer was simply, "You just do." That struck me as so strange. It's such a simple answer, but seems like the hardest concept. Difficult times will always make you feel like you can't make it. Failing at a task will either make you give up, or set another one to accomplish. What if we stopped focusing so much on the long run and just focused on the right now? If 2016 has taught us nothing else - it's taught us that we aren't guaranteed tomorrow. Even the most famous and internationally loved people couldn't escape how fragile life is. If each day is potentially our last, why do we set goals for a timespan of 365 days? Why don't we just worry about living each single day we're given?
So, this year - instead of making all those resolutions - call them goals. Set them as goals you'd like to achieve if you make it that far. This year, make your only resolution to do one thing, every day:
Just Live.
