Hello all!!
So... what you may be thinking is happening... is not actually happening...
No, I did not vow to blog more in 2014 and no this is not my big announcement about how you should be ready because there will be so many blogs coming your way as I learn all of life's lessons in 2014.
Actually, it is just me wanting to blog about New Year's resolutions and it happens to be the first time I have blogged in a while and it is Jan. 1, 2014.
Lesson #13: New Year's resolutions are overrated.
For the past week I have heard lots people having conversations about what their big change is going to be in 2014. I have been asked, "What is your resolution? Do you have any New Year's resolutions?" so many times. I answer "No," and politely ask, "Do you?" Yes, they do. And they are so excited. What is the most popular answer? Get in shape, eat better, go on a diet, lose a lot of weight... There are others too, but these are the most common.
And what is "on sale" in stores right now? Work out equipment, gym memberships, organizing totes, and health cookbooks.
Let me clarify something first. Getting into shape, organizing, changing your life = good things. I don't have a problem with those things.
New Year's resolutions are what I have a problem with. Well, not really the resolutions themselves it's the way that people go about them.
((Eating/exercising is just the most common and therefore the reason I am using it as my example. It is not to personally offend anyone with this resolution.))
Problem #1: Every one sets themselves up for failure.
If your New Year's resolution is to eat healthy, awesome. Great. I am so happy for you. But, you cannot go from eating pizza, fast food, frozen cheese dinners, and doughnuts everyday to healthy eating all on Jan. 1. It's not going to happen. You will run on adrenaline for about a week, eat leaves and protein shakes all while starving and then you'll go back to the way you were eating because "you failed" and "it didn't work."
You set yourself up for failure on Dec. 31 at 11:59pm when you declared in front of all your New Year buddies that starting at midnight you'd eat healthy.
Maybe, just maybe, and this is just a suggestion... You should have the New Year's resolution of researching "how to eat healthy." That is step 1. Then once you have completed that then do step 2, eat one healthy thing a day. Then step 3, step 4, step 5.... Just a suggestion.
It always amazes me the giant resolutions some people come up with. If you don't work out, ever, then starting Jan. 1 working out everyday doesn't sound like a path to victory.
Problem #2: Jan. 1 is not magical, it doesn't come with super powers, and 2014 is just some numbers.
This is more of the lesson and less the rant. Problem #1 was more of a rant and I apologize for that.
You can change your life any day, any hour, any minute. You just have to decide to. The New Year is a motivation for change, I do understand that. Fresh start, new year, first day of 365. But you can decide to change anytime.
My big motivation for this is a conversation I had with a friend. She was talking about how she eats unhealthy (horrible, horrible diet) and hasn't been working out. After talking a while she said on Jan. 1, 2014 she was going to turn it around. This was like 2 weeks into Dec. I asked her why not tomorrow? She said, I don't know, I am just going to wait.
2014 is not magical, it is just a number.
It seems to me that it actually just puts more pressure on people than inspiration. They are so caught up in the new year, their new self, and all the changing they are going to do and then it fails and it hurts.
I have some changes I want to make in my life. I think it is part of growing. But, I will wait to slowly make the change when I feel that I physically and emotionally prepared to make that change. Regardless the date, time, or year.
I think that instead of New Year's resolution it should be called a step towards a goal. Don't overload yourself, believe in the goal, and work step by step to get there. Recognize what you need, want, and what you are capable of.
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."
Love,
Kandice
PS: My step to my goal I am working on right now is to make time to blog when I feel the urge. It is relaxing to me and it feels nice to put my thoughts to words. I need more time doing this. Step 1: recognize when I need to blog.
