Source of photo: https://direaldenzi.wordpress.com/2014/01/02/new-year-new-me-nynm-yeah-right/
On the eve of New Year’s Eve, I thought I’d post a rational message about how I approach every new year…
As one might gather from the photo that opens this post, I’m not a big believer in “new year, new me” rhetoric. Truth be told, the vast majority of people who make resolutions for the new year seldom stick to them.
For example…
I’ve been a member of my current gym for going on six years and every January, the “new year, new me” folks crowd the gym. By March, they disappear.
I really would like to thank those folks. My membership fee went down two years in a row because I can always count on the people who join in January to drop out of sight by March only to be stuck with monthly fees for the next few years and provide pure profit for my gym ownership, which keeps my membership fees low. I’m almost as grateful as the gym owner, but I digress…
Quasi-facetious yearly gym experience aside, there is a point to my sharing this story. The point is that New Year’s resolutions are fine and dandy, but a commitment to improve oneself should be a daily, even an hourly process.
I strive to be better everyday.
Making a commitment to hit the gym tomorrow morning and then re-committing to return the next day is a lot easier than going “all in” on a yearlong commitment.
Committing oneself to eating healthier for one day and then renewing the commitment the next day is easier than making the mental commitment to eschew all of the simple pleasures for an indefinitely long period of time.
Goals are great, but a goal without a plan is just a wish.
Writing your goals down will motivate you to stick with them ONE DAY AT A TIME.
Old habits are hard to break and new habits only become habits over time.
Goals don’t require the change of the calendar from 31 December to 1 January to become goals. Auld Lang Sine should not be a call to better yourself. The fierce urgency of now should suffice.
Happy New Year!
-The Rational Ram
The Rational Ram 