Does the New Year = Change?

It’s only been a little over a week since we all made our New Year’s resolutions.  Ok…maybe some of you haven’t made any resolutions but for the most part, I think we all think about making resolutions after some acknowledgment that there might be something we can change for ourselves if it did not work the year before.

Some of you might not wait until the New Year to actually make resolutions.  If that’s the case, good for you.  If you see a problem that needs to be fixed or something that needs to be changed, why wait until the New Year to do so?

So for those who have made resolutions, how are you doing so far?

I think it is very easy to begin the first week high on a plan and what needs to be done to stay on task.  It is also very easy to put it off for just a few days because there are, in fact, 31 days in January.  If the first week doesn’t pan out, there are literally three and a half weeks remaining when we can get our butts in gear.

And then just as quickly, we’re deep into the second week and feeling guilty if we haven’t quite begun to check off the to-do list of our New Year task plan.  But we should not so easily beat ourselves up - the New Year is not all about January…it includes all twelve months. 

As much as we’d like it to be so, we certainly can’t make resolutions and expect to have completed what we hope to strive for in only the first month.  New habits and completion of goals take time to form and we must give ourselves the time it takes to form the habits and goals, rather than expect overnight success.

For someone like me, who is not the most patient person, making and keeping resolutions can sometimes be difficult.  But then again, I like a good challenge.  When it comes to resolutions, they are often time-consuming and difficult, making them the best sort of challenge.  However, whether a resolution is considered easy or difficult, the best reason for even making a resolution is to make a change for the better. 

Some of my resolutions are pretty generic but very important to me:  stay positive, eat better, spend more time with family and laugh more (when all else fails…watching an old episode of Friends is a terrific way to end the day).  If I can realistically distance myself away from unnecessary negativity, that’s a true bonus. 

I also made more specific resolutions when it comes to my writing:  keep myself on a writing schedule, stay motivated, keep the focus, seek out those who can help motivate me, finish my second book, jump in feet first as I take part in upcoming events to promote both books and make my work more available to publishers as I continue to market my work.  

When it comes to making a resolution, you are resolving a problem, you are making a firm decision to do something, you have a purpose and you are determined as you work towards a solution or goal.  Whether you make your resolution on New Year’s Day or sometime in the middle of July, it really doesn’t matter.  What matters is that you know change is sometimes necessary and with a bit of work as you form new habits and reach new goals, the results are most likely a wonderful prize.