The first day of a new year is special yet it holds no magic. We resolve to be better, do better, and wake up tired and, often, hungover. We commit to healthier lives on December 31st and spend the evening having fun, but not truly being kind to our bodies, and we find ourselves at IHOP for a New Years brunch nursing a raging headache.
The first day of this new year is special. It truly is. We dedicate this year as our year. We will be healthier. We will be happier. We will get out of debt, make more time for family, finally do a mud run, volunteer more, lose twenty pounds, be nicer to people, quit smoking. We will make it happen this year. After nearly two months of taking an extra cookie, having that third glass of eggnog, skipping that workout, we are ready to take charge and make real changes.
You should always have goals. You should always keep your dreams close. Resolutions are critical to improving ourselves. It's true that most people will not keep their resolution. We make the same resolutions year after year without ever succeeding. We continue to make those same goals because they mean something to us. We truly want these changes in our lives and yet, we continue to fall short.
I've had the same resolution for years and then in 2014 I made a specific and manageable goal. A target I knew that I could easily hit. This goal, be positive every day, was easy. I'm not much of a Debbie Downer but there were times, a bad day, someone cut you off, etc. that it was tempting to just see the negative. I didn't, though. I made it 365 days being positive about something. What I found is that there is ALWAYS something to be POSITIVE about and it makes me a better person. I have other goals that I want to achieve. However, now they seem a bit more accessible because I've actually kept a New Years Resolution from start to finish.
Yet it holds no magic. January 1st is just another day. It is a day when plans are made and goals are set but the day is still only a day. I woke up this morning later than I wanted, sore from yoga class, and puffy from a sodium rich dinner. My house still needs cleaning, the trash still needs to go out, the litter box still needs to be scooped, and the fridge is empty. Nothing in our life changes so drastically from December to January that makes this day any different from another. Yet, we expect amazing things to happen today. We expect to wake up and feel better. We expect that we'll actually want to get the juicer out of storage and give our bodies amazing food. We expect to be happier... but it's just another day.
Debbier Downer, right? Not at all. We are responsible for everything that happens in our lives. We are responsible for filling the fridge with food, we are responsible for cleaning the house, we are responsible for making our resolutions, and YOU are responsible for achieving it! There is nothing magical about January 1st aside from it being the ultimate Monday. I'll start on Monday, we always say. Well, here's your Monday. It's the Ultimate Monday.
If your goal is to get fit, then go to the gym, pop in a video, and workout! If your goal is to eat better, pick up an apple. If your goal is financial, be it getting out of debt, paying off a car, or anything else money related, get on the phone with your bank and creditors now. Making a resolution is great but you must take the next step. Be present in the process. Don't sit back and wish it would get better. Actively make the change. And remember, there will be problems. You will make mistakes. It will be hard at times. If it were easy you would have done it already. Stay positive. You've got 365 days to make 2015 absolutely amazing. Start today and be proud of the changes you make. Take responsibility and be the best you that you can be. Happy New Year!!
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