By Jamie Kirk
As much as I cringed at the thought of the subject for this week – New Year/New Me – I figured I would give it a shot of trying to be a little more REAL about what that really means. It means nothing. It’s just another year. Another year of committing to do the same things, the same way, it’s just another four-digit number that starts with 201, yet now has an 8 at the end.
The truth of the matter is that we are still going to be the same person, no matter how hard we try to change at 12:01 a.m. on January 1st, 2018. We are still going to have the same attitude, the same family members, be in the same relationship, have the same job, same beliefs, etc. The one thing, and the ONLY thing, that will change is the way we look at it, and the way we take control of whatever “IT” is, instead of allowing whatever “IT” is to control us.
Breaking It Down into Smaller Bites
… and not a word about New Year’s Resolutions
Our Attitude – including political beliefs
Support whoever won. Don’t comment on social media if you agree or disagree with their policy. Actually, no one cares. Manage your anxiety by focusing on helping others understand the issues and be informed of the political process. Continue to educate others, so they understand the importance of voting on all levels not just our four years for POTUS.
Our Family Members – including extended family
Love them anyway. Avoid interactions that are not necessary. Attend family functions to keep the noise down, and gravitate towards conversations that will be positive and uplifting and avoid those that will make you want to jump off the roof. If you need to de-friend them and start a less intense family social media page, do that. Vacation pics are a great way to not solicit opinions of others.
Current Relationship Status
Either start dating or Not. Stay or go. Stop waffling about “what should I do?”, you know what to do. Just pull the trigger. Stop boring the rest of us with your philosophic blah-blah-blah of weighing options, pondering both sides. Make the decision and move on. Once you decide, the next steps will be easy peasy.
Profession/Going Back to School
Ask for the promotion, enroll in school or stay stuck. It’s really not that hard. Yes, there are steps like updating your resume, making the appointment to see an Academic Adviser, readying the HR handbook to find out if your company has tuition reimbursement, or sending a calendar invite to simply ask your supervisor for the promotion that you know, you deserve. Honestly, either you really want to make the change regarding how you spend 40+ hours a week or you don’t.
Religion/Belief Systems
Confirm it is working for you. Stop feasting, praying and lighting candles to worship something that is not serving you to be a better person. Take an inventory of your life and determine if you are becoming more grounded, happier, more centered and overall a better YOU. If you answer no to any of these, it might be time for a realignment exercise to get what you need out of life. You should only believe in someone or something that will help you be at peace with who you are, and not cause you to be stressed looking for a sign or listening to a voice that seems to have forgotten how to speak to you.
So, the above is the “what” and the “how,” so the only other data point you need is the “when” – duh, that’s easy also; 12:01 a.m. on January 1st, 2018. Commit to the commitment to avoid over-thinking situations, decide to decide and just freaking do it. All the extra that comes along with New Year’s resolutions is just noise. Tune out detractors, eliminate folks that will not be supportive, and march on towards the goals you set for yourself. I’ll recommend one more thought to consider: you don’t have to start on New Year’s, and I realize this is total crazy talk, but you could actually start to work your plan after you put down this article.
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Bubble/Box
The New Year doesn’t have to start for you on 1/1/18.
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Jamie Kirk works for a software company and is a certified spinning instructor. He also enjoys yoga, swimming, bicycling and running. He aspires to start a blog about what we put in our bodies not only fuels our body but our mind and spirit as well. Follow Jamie on IG @tysonsdad