With the holidays approaching and the start of the new year less than a mere month away, you may be reflecting on the events of these past twelve months. Most people use this as a time to “start a new” in the upcoming year. Some use the new year as an opportunity to remedy a bad habit by replacing it. Some use it as a time to set more tangible goals like going to the gym while others use it as a time to focus on less tangible goals like having a more positive outlook. Now, before I continue, I want to clarify that this is an opinion piece and I do not have any scientifically-based evidence to not make a New Year’s Resolution for 2020.
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I personally am not a fan of New Year’s Resolutions. I 100% agree that there is always room for self-improvement, however, I do not feel as though this is something we should only be looking at once a year. This is going to be super cliche, but for example, if you want to start going to the gym, then start forming that habit when you feel the motivation to. I don’t see why one would wait for the new year. Some will argue, “Well the holidays are a busy time and I cannot make it to the gym” or ” The holidays are a time for eating and I don’t want to feel guilty so I’ll just wait until they are over to start”. These are excuses. These tell me that you are not actually motivated to go to the gym and form a new habit. That is why it is super important to begin habit-forming when you are passionate and motivated about it. It takes weeks to form a new habit and whether it is a tangible or intangible one, this is something that will take both time and dedication. There will be days where you find yourself reverting back to your old ways; do not fret! Simply return to your new routine the next day. If you allow yourself to be impacted by the guilt, then you will find a minor setback becomes a major setback which can be rather discouraging.
Anyway, I got a bit off-topic there, but I suppose some pointers aren’t totally off-topic; after all, this article is promoting self-improvement all year round and for that, some tips might be needed. Back to my initial point, it is important to be reflective throughout the months and make changes where you see fit to better yourself and your life. Something I have personally been working on is recognizing my worth. This wasn’t a thought I began 2019 with. In fact, I didn’t really start trying to do this until mid-to-late September. Imagine if I had waited until January to make this change. I already feel much more confident in myself both physically and mentally and recognize the role I play in my loved ones’ lives. It is such an eye-opening experience when you realize just how wonderful someone else views you, sometimes someone you hardly know, and ask yourself, “Why don’t you think about yourself in that positive light?” All I can say is I am very happy I have made this change in my life and while I may still be working on it, things like this take time. I think that maybe the most important thing about forming a new mindset, perspective, habit, and so forth. You must know that these things take time and you’re not going to wake up one day after you begin 15 pounds lighter or ten times more confident than the day before. Appreciate where you have made it so far in your journey and celebrate the small victories. Trust me, letting every setback get to you will only lead to your downfall in the end. So, let’s change New Year’s Resolutions to Whenever Resolutions and kick self-improvement’s a$$ all year round!
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