I haven’t made any New Year’s resolutions yet.
I know, I know, it’s almost February! A little late to start making New Year’s resolutions, right?
Wrong.
When the first weeks of the New Year presented themselves as much busier than I imagined, I placed my desire to sit down and write my resolutions on the back burner of my mind. I’ll make them another time, a better time, I kept telling myself. But, as you now know, that “better time” that was supposedly meant to appear out of thin air never showed its face. It remained hidden, buried in the chaos of starting a new quarter of school, meeting new people, getting back into routine, and struggling to adapt to the strikingly cold weather that Seattle has fallen victim to.
In short, I never found the time to write any resolutions. And, if I’m being extra honest, I still haven’t found the time.
With that said, I’ve since decided that life is much less about finding the time, and it is a lot more about making it.
But, before I get too far ahead of myself, I think I should tell you about what inspired this article, and more generally, what inspired my new perspective on life.
I recently decided to rewatch the animated Disney movie Soul. Following the life of Joe Gardener, a passionate jazz musician who is eagerly waiting for his big break, Soul dives into the difference between actually living and simply acting like you are always about to start your life (once you meet that person, once you get that job, once you look like that person). Joe’s personal journey is aided by a whimsical yet pessimistic soul named 22 who has yet to find her “spark” and be granted access to Earth. It is through this heartwarming pairing that both Joe and 22 are able to discover what a “spark” truly is, ultimately highlighting the importance of being present in all of life’s beauties, both mundane and extravagant.
Especially with the idea of making resolutions and preparing for the New Year, Soul’s overarching theme about how we should properly appreciate our daily lives really resonated with me. The movie forced me to understand how, in many ways, I am just like Joe Gardener: I am constantly on the lookout for that thing that will make me feel like my life has begun, when—in reality—I am letting precious time slip away, too busy focusing on what I don’t have instead of being grateful for what I do.
In short, I am often too busy waiting around for what I think should be important, instead of making time for what really matters. I wait for prescribed measures of time (for the New Year, for the weekend, for summer) to make changes in my life when I should be treating every day as a new day. I let myself get overwhelmed by all of the things I “need” to do, instead of taking a step back and a deep breath.
It is easy to get caught up in all of the areas of life we are critical about, the ones that we are desperate to change or improve or succeed in. Personally, this critical mindset makes me feel stuck, as if I am constantly watching the sand in an hourglass dwindle away, as if I am constantly running out of time. So much to do, and so little time to do it.
After watching Soul, however, I have begun to think about life in a different way. Each day really is a new day—an entire twenty-four hours to make my own—which I think is really beautiful. And, when you think about it in that way, one thing becomes frightfully clear: you have time. You can slow down. You can be patient.
You can be present. You can appreciate where you are, here and now.
All it takes is being intentional with your time, even if that means intentionally sitting on the couch and watching movies all day. Or intentionally applying for jobs. Or intentionally working on that project you have been putting off. Or intentionally watching the rain fall outside. All it takes is making time for what matters to you in that moment, rather than hoping somehow you can find it.
So, to start again from the beginning: No, I have not yet found the time to write my New Year’s resolutions, even though it is almost February. And that is okay!
I’ll make the time tomorrow. I have an entire twenty-four hours to make my own.