January 1st is Just Another Day. And That’s a Good Thing!

3...2...1...Happy New Year! Ah the New Year, a time of reflexion and goal setting. What a beautiful concept of fresh starts that we’ve created. Do you buy into the whole “New Year, New Me“ schtick? Because I don’t.

Now, before you click off, I don’t mean that in a negative way. But, think about it. It’s the same thing every year. For some reason, the ending of one year and the beginning of another inspires so many of us to finally “get our life together”. To make a game plan and achieve our new goals or whatever we failed to do in the previous year. But why?

Why is the New Year our designated time for self-improvement? Countless New Year’s Resolutions lists lay untouched, forgotten, or discarded by those who were once eager to start checking things off. How do we so easily go from excitement to complacency? It’s unfortunate, and I’m guilty of it.

I think the problem is the hype around New Years. We make preparations, get dressed up, go out with friends or loved ones, and anticipate the stroke of 12. So many glorified kisses and countdowns that will be repeated in the next year to come. And for what? The reality of the situation is that New Years is just January 1st. Sure, it’s the beginning of the year but it’s also just like any other day of the year. And that’s exactly my point.

Why wait for New Years to get your life together? Why wait to start a diet, to be bolder, to work harder. We’ve gotten it in our heads that our fresh start is confined to a timeframe, but it’s not! You can start bettering yourself at any point in your life. You can get fit this year, instead of the next. You can be a kinder person today instead of tomorrow. You can start working towards your goals right now!

Once I realized this, I decided on a single New Year’s resolution.

: Stop Waiting.

My resolution for this year and every one after is to stop waiting for the right moment to do what I want to do. If I want to learn how to play guitar (which I do), I should set aside some cash and get a guitar. I should go online and learn how to tune it. I should watch beginners videos on YouTube. I should put in the time and practice it takes to learn. I should struggle through chords until my fingers are raw and calloused. And I should have done all of this last year!

I say that because I wanted to learn guitar when quarantine started. I wanted to learn when I left home for college. I wanted to learn during Christmas time, but didn’t. It wasn’t until January 1st that I decided to make learning guitar a “New Year’s resolution”.

Why did I wait for New Years to do something I’d been interested in the entire year prior? Maybe I was “waiting for the right time”. Or maybe I was just too lazy. Or too unmotivated. And when I think about this, I realize that all of those reasons are just more excuses to wait!

So far, I have been mindful of my excuse making. I’ve been keeping myself accountable with my goals and have even started journaling daily on ways to improve. I can play 5 chords on the guitar now, and I couldn’t be happier!

Waiting for New Years is the same as waiting for inspiration or motivation or different circumstances. And I just want everyone to know that you don’t have to wait for any of these things. You don’t have to wait for New Years to start changing your life.

January 1st is just another day. No different from the day before or the day after. The realization of this sets you free. Free from the fresh start time frame. Your fresh start is whenever you decide. And if you decide for it to be at the beginning of a new year, that’s fine! But, any other time is just as good.

So, as we all boldly embark on this journey into 2021, I challenge you reader to stop making excuses. I challenge you to STOP WAITING!