We hear it said every year by someone- "New year, new me!" It seems to be everyone's go to, once Christmas comes to a close, and we're left with about a week to realize we never accomplished that list we made for the new year last December. Saddened at the realization, we make a whole new list that we're sure we'll follow this next year, because we've changed and we're different now. We think "Old me couldn't do it, but this is a year later, so new me sure can!" And unfortunately enough, we believe it.
A few things we see on our list every year are:
1. Going to the gym to get in shape.
How many of us have bought a gym membership once the new year rolled around only to go everyday for the first week, and never again once the year progressed? A good portion of us. And we don't even cancel the membership once we know we won't go, we fool ourselves into thinking "Alright, I didn't this week because (insert excuse here,) but next week I'll make time on Tuesday's and Thursday's to go." But it never happens, and we know it won't ever happen but our subconscious convinces us that we're about to become "gym buffs" and finally have that summer body we've dreamed of every year.
2. Eating healthier.
I know what you're thinking. "Why are all those people in pictures of eating 'healthy' always smiling. It looks like rabbit food! I never feel that happy after eating a salad." Well, my friend, pictures like that aren't always reality, but what is reality is the fact that food like that is better for you than most of the stuff you eat on the daily.
Even if your goal isn't to lose weight, we've all tried diets and detoxes. I mean who doesn't want look great and feel great? Apples and strawberries, as my father would say, are "Nature's candy." Which was always his excuse to get me to stop eating so much candy. We know what's healthy and what's not, but we have a hard time letting go of it. Going vegan or vegetarian is one way to eat healthier, but it's also not for everyone. Jenny Craig and South Beach diet plans are also not the equivalent to eating healthy if losing weight is your issue. It's unfortunate but true, those 7 day meal supply they give you won't really help much with the healthy living we want so bad. Trust me, I don't think most of us are ready for what eating healthier really contains. It's something that we have a hard time going along with, since we constantly crave the things we can't have. Temptation almost always wins with food, I learned that one the hard way.
3. Learning something new.
We've all sworn to learn an instrument or painting or something we've never done before whether its horse back riding or skydiving. The sky is the limit when it comes to learning something new, which means possibilities are endless. But the big key factor here is, are we really going to do it? We like to say we'll do things a lot, I mean look at our gym membership collecting dust and the protein powder we tried just sitting in the pantry. We're the bunch to say too much and not do enough. It's sad but true. If actual rock climbing is what we chose as our "something new" for the year, we'll most likely have shaky legs when the day comes down to it. I can't blame you though, heights can be scary. But something as simple as scrapbooking can be hard if we don't take the time out of the week to really get the hang of things.
4. Travel more.
Who wouldn't love to see beautiful sandy beaches? I suppose to each their own on the places you'd want to visit, but a lot of the time we see places in magazines, books, TV, and on the internet and swear we'll go there one day, but the day never comes. We're all guilty of it, even I am. When it comes to traveling somewhere that's not to the supermarket or mall, we have a hard time going any further. You can't keep stopping yourself from that though. You'll miss out on great and wonderful things if you're unable to step out of your comfort zone away from home to finally go to that Scottish castle you've dreamed of. There is so much wonder and beauty in the world, that it's sad to see it go without notice. Time is never our friend, and it goes by pretty fast, but somethings are worth making time for. Plan for it. Save money for a trip. Don't let traveling be something on your list that's broken every year. It'll be your biggest regret with every passing year, and this regret only gets worse as time goes on.
All of these and more are items on our list of New Years Resolution, and like I said earlier, they almost always get broken. If you're one of the few that actually sticks to the list of change, hats off to you. But for most of us, myself included, it's not so easy to get away from whatever it is you're used to. Which obviously is different for everyone, but there is not one real excuse as to why we don't go along with the things we have planned for ourselves. It's just us being lazy a good majority of the time time.
Our go to excuse and biggest problem of why things never get done, is time. We know there's never enough of it, but we don't exactly try to make room for it in our lives either. We're the type to be afraid of new change, because an old routine is easier to follow and remember than a new one. You may say you're not afraid of change, but chances are if something different came your way you'd be scared and go back to your old ways real fast. That's why "New Year, New Me" never works, we're too busy afraid to live life differently than we know. In truth, it's sad because all of the above, or any you've listed not on here for yourself, can be gateways to a whole new path of life. Yes, the phrase is bumbo jumbo, but the reality of it can be true. One change can lead you in a whole new direction. For example, I was going to school for creative writing because when I was younger the paper and pen was my best friend. This year, I picked up a camera and it turned my idea of any plan I had for myself upside down. I'm now going to school for photography, and planning on going to an art school after graduation.
Not all change is bad, even if it's scary at first. Go out and make resolutions. Stick to or break them, but don't stop trying to make yourself different than who you were yesterday. Mistakes only bring us farther in life, and they can only bring you down if you don't try to better yourself. It's important as humans to have change, without change we wouldn't have the newest iPhone or computer. We'd be stuck in the dark ages if it wasn't for change and resolutions. Think of it this way, would you rather wake up on your last day with the thought "wow, I've done all that I could and lived it all to the fullest, what more could I have asked for?" or "I wish back then I did all that I had wanted and more... Now I'll never know what it's like." Ultimately the choice is yours, but make sure it's one you'll be okay with in the end.
Take a lesson from Shia LeBouf, and "JUST DO IT!"
