It’s getting to be that time where we start talking about “the holidays”. And you know what that means. Pretty soon, everyone’s going to be talking about New Year’s resolutions and “new year new me” and all sorts of things about bettering yourself. Things that this website seems to talk about all the time. You’d think that I’d be excited about it, but really, as usual, I’m kind of frustrated. Not that my personal feelings really matter much compared to the general consensus of how we perceive this time of year, but because I have this platform, I just thought I would talk about it.
If you’re gearing up for New Years at all, the way I am right now, then you can go ahead and read the two posts I’ve already written on the subject here and here. In the first, I talk about New Years resolutions specifically: the futility behind most of them and what constitutes a good one to begin with. Then, in the second, I cover the question “Will it be a good year?” (Spoiler alert, by most accounts, it was not.) And if you’re coming from them, you’ll see that I don’t really hide my disillusion with many of the attitudes behind this New Year holiday.
And I stand by nuanced approaches in both of those old posts. Sure, make a resolution for the new year- just make sure it’s sustainable and coming from the right place. And yes, this new year will be a good year if we make it one. (I mean, even 2020, with all its faults, had its positives. People got married, got new jobs, had children, and so on. Even in the darkness, we have the ability to make the best out of it that we can and appreciate the happy things when they come.) But I want to suggest an alternative to you right now.
There’s nothing special about a new year
You know this, of course you know this. But sometimes we forget how little a “new year” actually means. I mean, it’s just the day you need a new calendar, really. And since so many people keep their calendars on their phones now, it’s likely not even that for you.
I get a bad feeling pointing this out, though. It makes me sad, like I’m trying to tear down what I know to be a source of hope for so many people. Hope that they have control over their lives, and who they become. I don’t want to do that. And I definitely am not just posting this to seep pessimistic venom out into the online world. So, why am I saying this?
Well, when you live your life in a certain way, you’ll realize that you don’t need “New Years” to have a new vision for your life, or have a chance to improve who you are. Breathe through the feelings that come with this. Every day is a new life for you to live. (Or to take a step towards living.) Today is just as fresh as New Year’s Day. In some ways, even fresher. Because you don’t have all the baggage that comes with starting on New Year’s Day.
What about today?
So give it some thought. Today is a fresh day, just like a fresh year. You have no contract holding you to who you’ve always been, so dream big. Who would you like to read about when you pick up your biography? Who would you be proud to see when you look in the mirror? Take this seriously. And make a “New Year’s resolution”…today. Don’t wait until Monday. Start today, start now. You create change in your life. Not the day of the week, not the day of the year, not the expectations of others. Let yourself shine, because that’s what you were meant to do. Get started on your life instead of allowing the calendar to dictate it for you.
