This is an article I wrote for Bridge Business College some time ago.
Here is the full text:
Happy New Year! Did you write your New Year’s Resolution?
Are you sure you did it in the right way?
This year I’ve seen many different reactions to the start of 2017.
Some people think: “Well, I didn’t even bother writing a New Year’s Resolution, every year is the same!”.
Others tell me: “This Year everything is going to change!”, meaning that their New Year’s Resolution will be a checklist where everything is possible; the first, blank page of a new book, ready to be filled with a new story.
Needless to say, I don’t believe in either of these opposite reactions!
The first approach lacks motivation, which is the fundamental pillar for any good plan: how are we supposed to achieve new goals, if we assume that everything will remain the same?
The second reaction, the one whose rule is “New Year – New book” is a common mistake that many of us make. Let me explain why.
A New Year feels like moving to a new Country: we start a new life, we meet new people. It’s all about trying to prove to ourselves that we can change and adapt to anything.
Nevertheless, starting from the scratch can be scary: without a deep motivation, transforming ourselves and our lives could undermine our self-confidence and leave us confused and disoriented.
What makes the difference is remembering that it’s just a new chapter of the same book we’ve been writing all along.
It’s still us, we still have the same strengths and skills that we learned in the past, which we can use to cope with new challenges that lie ahead.
Hence, rather than planning to completely transform our life, I would focus on the keyword “Evolving”.
Our life is going to evolve around us, and so are we: our past experiences, the lessons we’ve learned during the old year, will help us manage and succeed in the new adventures that are awaiting us.
The new chapter of your life is waiting for you: write it as you prefer and enjoy it!