“It’s 2021! All of my hopes and dreams are destined to come true. And why wouldn’t they? I’ve planted so many seeds into last year’s fresh soil and so it’s only natural that I start to see the fruits of my labor. 2021, don’t you screw around with me this year. You owe me.”
If you’re saying this to yourself you might be on to something. However, more than likely you are dead wrong. This opinion isn’t popular, but a new year doesn’t automatically mean that your life will fall into place. However, there are some things that are more likely to happen because it’s a new year. Take job hunting for example. A 2015 Forbes article states that timing plays a key role if you’re looking for work: “For companies on a calendar year financial schedule, new budgets start in January, which can mean funding for new positions.” However, outside of that, most things won’t just happen because you think “2021” owes you something. To see the change you want for the new year, what has to change is you.
Change doesn’t come easy, but it’s the only way to achieve the life that we want; the funny thing is that most of us already know this. In spite of this, the majority of us continue to live meaningless, uneventful lives because of our inability to change. The reason? The answer is a bit complicated, however, there are a series of issues that arise when the topic of change comes up. An article from Harvard Business Review opens a tiny window into why we are the way we are: “Change interferes with autonomy and can make people feel that they’ve lost control…routines become automatic, but change jolts us into consciousness.”
Did you catch that last part? Change jolts us into consciousness.
In order to change, we have to first examine our own shortcomings–and that is something we hate with a fiery passion. What’s even worse is that once we examine those flaws it becomes clear just how imperfect we may be. And why would anyone want to do that? You can’t blame others for ignoring things that are scary. It’s kind of in our DNA to run and hide when the truth gets revealed. But it’s also within us to own our truth head on–only then do we have the possibility to make a different choice.
So make a different choice this year. Stop making resolutions that you haven’t been able to keep in the past. Don’t be one of those people who believes that life will be better simply because of the date on the calendar. If you are, you could be waiting for a very long time. Instead, take 2021 as a time to get to know yourself. Get to know your strengths. Get to know your weakness. Get to know what you love. Get to know what you hate. The change part will come after, so don’t worry about it.
2021 is a year just like any other–it holds no power over us. It will have high’s and lows mostly independent of anything we do; we just can’t control it. Once you realize that, everything else will become simple. Focus on you in 2021 and enjoy the ride. It’s going to be fun.
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