Everyone loves to make New Year’s resolutions.
For most people, the resolution is something like, “get in better shape.”, “go to the gym more often.”, “read the bible more often.”, “improve {insert skill of choice}.” or something very similar.
On January 1st? People are ALL OVER IT. They’re working on whatever their goal is, and they’re so pumped about it! They’re year is starting off amazing!
but… by March 1st, people are most likely to look at you and say, “what new year’s resolution?”.
I haven’t really made all that many new year’s resolutions in my life. Actually, I think this year was the first year I really got into the resolution thing.
and you know what?
it’s January 18th, and I haven’t kept up with a single one of them. Actually, I don’t think I even STARTED a single one of them.
Writing my many goals out 10 days before 2012, I was SO pumped about it. I wanted new year’s to start right then so I could get started on all of it!
But on new year’s day, I was so not motivated to do anything with my goals. {Actually, a good part of new year’s day for me was spent freaking out over something I didn’t need to be freaking out about, as is typical of me, but that’s for another post.}
At first, I felt guilty. I told my self I would make up for it and do double the work on my goals the next day, but I knew I wouldn’t actually do it.
Almost 3 weeks into the new year, though, I’m not a bit guilty. and if you haven’t been so successful with your new year’s resolution, you shouldn’t be either.
I have one word for you. It’s the KEY to why people can never follow through with their resolutions all 365 {or in this year’s case, 366} days of the year.
determination.
D.E.T.E.R.M.I.N.A.T.I.O.N.
did you catch that?
You see, it’s hard to keep up with your goals. It takes hard work. You have to be motivated. You have to have the right mindset. You have to have a reason for wanting to do it, a plan, and determination.
In today’s world, the only core reason we have for making new year’s resolutions is because everyone else is doing it. It’s a “thing”. a movement, if you will. it’s popular.
When I came up with my goals for 2012, I did it because that’s what people do. I had been thinking to myself, “well, everyone is making resolutions, and I want to make some too! This is going to be fun!”
I actually had a lot of things stored up for new years. Being the procrastinator that I am, I put everything off. So, in October, when I was thinking of goals I had or things I wanted to accomplish, I told myself to just wait until new years.
because that’s when you make resolutions. it just is. and I’ll be more successful if I do it then.
Listen:: New Year’s Day is just the first day of a new year. It comes around every 365 days, but so does April 23rd. Don’t get me wrong, I love New year’s and I’ll always think it’s exciting, but when it comes down to it…it’s just a day. January 1st will never make you any more motivated than July 17th or any other day of the year does.
The calendar can’t do that for you. YOU have to motivate YOURSELF.
You wouldn’t jump off a cliff just because everyone else is doing it, would you? So why make a resolution for January 1st just because everyone else does it?
Resolutions are personal. We create them to better our personal lives and health. *News flash*: You can go on a diet and be successful if you start on May 3rd. don’t start it on the cliché day just because. If you’re seriously motivated to do it then, and you have your plan, then okay. But if you’re just trying to go with the crowd and you think you’ll be successful because of the day you started your diet, I’m sorry, but it’s not gonna happen.
January 1st sounds good because it’s a clean slate. a new beginning. but here’s an idea:
everyday can be a clean slate.
every minute can.
The beauty of our lives is that no one had to wait a single second to do anything they want to do. We are in control of our lives. So if you want to do something, commit, make a plan, and DO IT. It doesn’t matter what the calendar says. Throw the calendar out the window, in fact.
You have to cultivate determination inside yourself. It’s not going to work to just say, “I’ll start doing this on New Year’s without a plan or anything to drive me towards completing this thing because it’s a good day to start a resolution”.
I encourage you to step away from that mindset.
When you look up resolution in the dictionary, there’s nothing about January 1st in sight.
Think about your goals, pray about your goals, write out a plan for accomplishing your goals, and start your goals when you are ready to tackle them. because that is the time you will be most successful.
Success isn’t a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire. {Arnold H. Glasow}
give up on the January 1st thing. That is soooo 18 days ago. :) Light a fire within yourself. Internal motivation, baby.
because guess what? At the end of the day, success IS success. No matter what day you start, no matter what day you end.