My Resolution...

So the new year is here. New day, week, month, year, and decade, all here at once. And the beginning of a new year is a chance for people to say yes, today is the day for change. They can raise their glass high as the ball descends on midnight, and when they wake up in the morning, things will be different. Writing two different numbers at the end of the date will transition your bad habits and lazy attitudes into feats of valor. You dug down deep, found what really needed to change in your life, or, just something that you wanted to change, and you found the courage to force your life into an upward spiral, freeing yourself from the shackles of your former self to emerge on the other side only to say, 'Here I am, and I am a better person than I was last year. You'll see.'

Okay maybe I over-glamorized this idea, but doesn't it kind of seem foolish when you lay it out that way? I mean, we're so caught up in defining and classifying things that we forget that life isn't just simply divided into perfect, equal sections. But somehow when it comes to personal change, the numbers on the calendar have to flip before we take it seriously. So what it's important to you now wasn't important to you in December? Then how important is it? Did you think of something in October and think, 'ya know, that seems like a good life decision. But I'm going to wait for a new year before I implement this into my life, otherwise I won't follow through?' Then what does that say about your desire to change in the first place? Are you just doing it because it seems like the right thing to do, even though you don't believe in it? If at any point in your life, you realize there needs to be a change in your life, then every day you put it off is a waste. A lie. A deceit of your own mind. And convincing yourself that a necessary change can be set aside for another day might be one of the greatest tricks someone can play on them self.

I'm not saying I'm against resolutions. Yeah it might piss me off that I have to wait for a treadmill because 90,000 people decided that 2010 is the year they'll get in shape, for a month, but I like the idea of people making their life, their body, and their state of mind a better and healthier place. I like seeing out of shape people in the gym. At least it shows they are trying. And I like seeing people skipping the doughnut aisle at the grocery store. Or sending out thank you notes to people they may have wronged. Or any other small or large change in someone's life that has a positive impact on the world. Donating to a charity. Helping someone train for a marathon. Volunteering once a month. Changing your perspective on life to have an optimistic outlook. All of it are steps in the right direction.

I just encourage everyone to take the necessary strides for a better life on a Tuesday in June or the 5th of March or the last weekend in October, because positive change is something that should never be delayed. Let your own self-motivation drive you. If you don't have any, then there's where you need to start resolving. Until then, save New Years for champagne and bowl games, let the changes take place as they come.