New Year, Same You

I was once loyal to New Year's resolutions. I'm going to lose weight. I'm going to blog more. I'm going to drink more water. I'm going to manage my time better. There's nothing wrong with the ideological aspirations of someone who wants to better themselves. It’s human nature.

It's human nature to seek improvement. Even as I write this, I'm thinking, "this blog post will be better than the last." We all want to improve, whether it aligns with the stars or not. And once we decide on a change, we wrap those desires in a bow and label them—New Year's Resolutions.

Perfect. It’s a new year. We’ll start over. Easy peasy.

Ah, but my friends, what happens to our visions of being hydrated, slim-wasted, and spending more time with family—three months into the new year? Well, for most of us, those resolutions are packed away with holiday decorations, only to leave us feeling unfulfilled halfway through the year.

Personally, when I don’t fulfill a resolution, I feel like I failed. Then one day, I realized that even with my pie-in-the-sky dreams of betterment, I am still the same person. It's a new year, and indeed I have new ideas and bigger plans, but I am still the same person.

So, what does that mean? Simply put, it means, no matter how many nifty predictions and strategies we develop for the new year, none will come to fruition if we aren’t true to ourselves. If I still have a penchant for procrastinating (which I do) and continue to be inconsistent (which I am), resolutions of grandeur in productivity won't be fruitful unless I cater to my habits and my schedule.

My point?

Set goals for yourself, but don't set yourself up. Be realistic and gentle with yourself. If you want to reach out to family more, allow yourself the space to show up genuinely. Why bother setting a goal to call more when all you really want to do is send a string of emojis and a few GIFS?

Please don't do it.

2021 promises nothing except four new seasons, breaking news, and the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World. No need to pile on needless expectations.

2020 was a doozy. If you made it through, you, my friend, are a Rockstar. Be kind to yourself and, yes, try to be a better person, but do so, remembering the wonderful person you already are.

Write on,

Tamika