A New Year’s resolution is a great way to make a positive change in your life.
People make resolutions ranging from quitting smoking to losing weight to spending more time with their families. No matter what the intended change is, it takes dedication to truly change a bad habit.
A life-style change does not happen overnight or even in a few weeks. It can take months to truly change the way you live, especially if your lifestyle has been the same for many years. I commend those who choose to change their lives and better themselves for the future, but I often wonder how long people stick with their plans. Many of the people I know make the same New Year’s resolutions every year. Each year they have a “plan” of action, but each year it falls by the wayside by February.
Why does society direct us to change our life one time a year? Shouldn’t we always be trying to improve our lives and not just when the calendar turns?
Often a life experience dictates a change in lifestyle. A person might be insulted by a comment about his appearance or behavior. Words from a loved one or even a stranger can make a person want to change his life forever.
I have told myself I would start a consistent workout routine every year since I began college and it has never happened. My workouts are sporadic at best, and they are probably not very beneficial because of what I eat.
As I listened to people around me talk about their resolutions for the first few days of 2011, I realized that many of those goals probably would not become a reality. It dawned on me that to really stick with a plan and to reach a goal, you need support.
It is nearly impossible to make a change of that magnitude alone. Each person needs someone to keep them motivated through the daily grind. Find a person who shares a similar goal and work together.
As the holidays end and we go back to school and work, we often fall back into our old lull. The everyday routine can consume our new goals if we don’t fight back.
Change is slow. Change is a mindset. Change is hard. Change is possible. n