The idea of New Year’s Resolutions has never really made sense to me.
In the past, I have decided to make changes to further my goals or to improve myself and was tempted to wait for the new year. But why do we have to wait for the new year to improve ourselves or start our goals? The whole idea of “new year, new me” just feels wrong. In my opinion we do this to delay the changes that we are wanting to make out of fear or waiting for the opportune time. We are delaying change and improvement because we attach it to dates. This is the Myth of the Perfect Start. There is never going to be a perfect time to start or do anything, but action is still necessary. And its not always the New Years. Sometimes it's “I’ll wait until next semester,” or "I’ll wait until Monday,” or even worse “when life calms down a little bit.” I have found that this just results in a someday it will happen mindset and no action is taken. I have been guilty of this way of mindset as I believe most people are.
These last few years I have made a resolution for myself. If I wanted to make a change or get something done, I would Just Do It. I love Nikes' motto because it encourages you to act and get stuff done, regardless of your circumstances. I decided that I wouldn’t wait for a better time. I realized that all these goals I had needed action. Waiting for the perfect time was just a way of delaying the hard work that would be necessary. I have stuck with this, and it has changed the way I think. Throughout these last few years of my “Just Do It” mentality, I have realized that there will never be a perfect time to do anything. If we wait to start on our goals, we begin to overanalyze and think of reasons why we can’t or shouldn’t start yet. Overthinking and overanalyzing kills momentum. This is the moment that we need to make a mental shift. Action creates motivation, not the other way around. A ball won’t roll unless it gets pushed. We won't start until we take that first step to get the ball rolling. Motivation and momentum will keep us going from there.
At first, starting might feel uncomfortable. Starting or making any sort of change typically is. You aren’t going to know how to lift weights perfectly the first time you go to the gym. You aren’t going to be perfect at journaling or learning a new skill. You aren’t going to lose weight all at once. You are going to feel awkward and uncomfortable as you make changes and this is hard. This often results in discouragement and kills your motivation. But what feels more uncomfortable, from my personal experience, is not starting or giving up. In most cases we need to recognize that the long-term benefits will outweigh the short term pain. So don't think about it, don't over analyze, take that first step and create your own motivation. Take a page out of Nikes book and Just Do It.