Every year we count down… 10,9,8,7,6… Our hearts pounding in excitement for what the future holds and the new year will bring. The ball drops, signaling that it is officially a new year! With January comes a whole new aura. It is a month when people are filled with high hopes, motivation, and the endless desire to be an overall improved person. Like everyone always says “New Year New Me”, but as January draws to a close, the motivation dies down and we grow busy and exhausted. Sit ups are no longer our top priority, eating healthy grows old, saving money becomes difficult, and our bucket lists we so eagerly created get set aside.
So, as February rolls upon us and we turn the pages in our calendars there are things we should remember:
Set little goals along the way. An adjustment meant to span three hundred and sixty-five days can be overbearing and intimidating. By breaking down our resolutions they become more obtainable. Also, this makes it easier to maintain motivation when trying to reach a goal that can be accomplished short term opposed to one where the finish line seems too distant.
Being an overall better person is something we can all agree we strive to become at the beginning of each new year. So take a step back and really think about what you define as the person you want to become and the qualities you wish to achieve. Incorporate these qualities into your daily routine through your everyday acts. Donate your spare change to charities, award compliments to those around you, and continue fighting for the changes you dreamt up on January first. Changing your life is a drastic endeavor but something that can be achieved if we think about our actions and how they affect others.
Lastly, remember that at the end of the day you’re not perfect and don't be too hard on yourself. Take a break every now and then from the no carb, vegan diet you have been fighting to obtain. Those chocolate chip cookie you have been thinking about all day and is now too tempting to resist won't shatter the progress you’ve made so far. Be proud of the life style adjustments you have made up until this point, no matter how small or big, and quit focusing on all the things you still wish to change.
As February arrives, the confetti has fallen and the glow that the new year brings with it fades away and we all eventually realize the truth. It may be a new year, but we are the same. “New year New me” is an unrealistic ambition. We are who we have always been and the struggle to do the right thing, book the flight, and eat the healthy meal is still as hard of a struggle as it has always been. Wanting to become a new person is impractical. To overcome our obstacles and rid ourselves of the bad habits and flaws we find within ourselves is still something we can attain even though the year is no longer “new”. We should strive to become a revised and improved person everyday as opposed to every year.
