It’s a New Year!
Here in New York, rain has been falling since soon after the clock struck midnight two days ago. My mind stitches together different images, like squares on a quilt. People are nursing their New Year’s hangover, families are getting ready to go back to work and school, stories of passengers stranded at airports, and of course, what seems to be the never ending surge of Covid fill the news cycle. I think of those who died, who continue to sacrifice and serve. And I angrily think of those who have divided us and the precious time and lives we lost if we had just tried a bit harder to do what’s best for each other. But my soap box speech is for another day. Right now, people across the world are making New Year resolutions. Most of these resolutions will not survive the first month of the year. So, should New Year resolutions be scrapped?
If anything should sway you to scrap making New Year resolutions, it should be the pandemic.
Why? Because Covid changed our lives forever. Hopefully, this “monster” made many realize how truly precious, and short, life is. So if I want to make a change or improvement in my life, I don’t need to wait until January 1st to commit to that. Creating your best life needs to be nurtured throughout the year.
Why should any of us feel forced to commit to a change that will improve our lives only at the start of a new year? Of course, New Year resolutions symbolize a new beginning, a fresh start, starting with a clean slate and so on. But where did this all begin? To read about the history of New Year resolutions, click here: https://www.almanac.com/history-of-new-years-resolutions
But don’t you think we need to reexamine how and when we make changes in our lives?
Making life improvements or resolutions should not be based on a calendar.
For me, these last two years have given me a time to reflect, and I mean really, truly reflect on my life, and shift my priorities in a way that no flick of a calendar page or “new year resolution” could accomplish. Perhaps, it’s a shift in thinking. “Think about things differently.”
I believe that resolutions, if you want to call them that, are something we should choose to make all year long. They can be made on a daily, weekly, or hourly basis, if we so desire. A date on a calendar shouldn’t be used to force that choice. I don’t need a holiday to force me to change something I don’t like about myself. This process should be done all year long. Maybe, I just don’t want to be a cliche.
So, if you made one or more New Year’s resolutions, good luck to you! I truly hope you succeed. And if you didn’t make one or if you don’t follow through with ones you made, don’t beat yourself up.
Make changes to your life when it works best for YOU. Whether, you decide to make a change on a rainy Tuesday afternoon in February or on a sunny afternoon in April, it doesn’t matter. Remember…
