Happy New Year, dear reader!
Did you set any resolutions today? Hordes of people did—40% to be exact. I’m not one of them. I gave up on making New Year’s resolutions years ago.
I was never very creative in any case—lose weight, exercise more, and swear less. But by the first week in February, it became depressingly obvious that my best intentions had gone to hell in a hand basket. (Damn it, so much for swearing less.)
I used to look forward to January 1st. A new calendar symbolized hope and possibilities. There was a clean slate; any past failures were wiped away and could be forgotten. January 1st was the perfect day to push the “reset” button, re-focus my efforts and prepare for success.
Unfortunately, this always turned out to be magical thinking. 90% of those who set resolutions don’t succeed. I was just one soldier in an army of failures. It was always reassuring to know that I was not the only one curled up in a fetal position surrounded by mountains of Twinkie wrappers in early February.
But please don’t dismiss me as lacking ambition. I’m a pretty goal-oriented gal and my follow-through is excellent. Goals have given shape to the purpose in my life; have given me something to strive for; and have kept me engaged. Starting this blog was one such goal. And since my launch on June 1, 2013 (NOT January 1st) I have not missed a single week (that makes 85 posts, and serious writer’s cramp!)
I suspect that most New Year’s resolutions lack the intrinsic motivation to succeed. If it wasn’t that important on June 12th or November 5th, what makes it so important now? When our goals are fueled by passion (like this blog) we can’t wait to get out of the starting blocks. Waiting till January 1st would be torture.
Any resolution worth making requires passion, dedication and sacrifice—the qualities that will get your through the rough patches and road blocks. So if you are setting resolutions today, make sure they are ones that matter a lot to you.
Wishing you a happy and healthy 2015, and much success in whatever passions you pursue. But please do yourself a favour. If you do make resolutions today and don’t follow-through, take comfort in the fact that they probably were not the right ones to begin with.
Previous: Love Me Tinder?
Next: Does Your Partner Expect You To Read Her Mind?