Why Wait? – Blogmas Day 28

December 28th 2017

Stop waiting for the new year.

New years are funny to me. Leading up, we begin to personify years, giving them a personality and developing expectations based on the personality we give the new year. We also view new years as this separate entity from the current year, as if a change on the calendar is any more than a new number. Why is this? I believe, we as a society just like the idea of a clean slate so we close the door on the previous year, treating it like it never happened, then moving onto the new year pretending we don’t have the same problems as the year before.

This doesn’t bother me very much because I have the same tendency to treat new years like they are entirely fresh slates to do with which I please, but one thing really does bother me…why wait for a new year to fix the things you want to fix? Why is it always, “In 2018, I’m going to eat clean and go to the gym 3 times a week” and not “Starting tomorrow, I’m going to start eating clean and going to the gym 3 times a week”? Why do we keep pushing these problems off to a new year, why not start now? Why wait?

If it were my place to give those people advice, I would say that it is probably a better sign if you enter the new year already trying to better yourself than to enter the new year riding on your bullshit train to nowhere. Here are just a few tips/opinions I have for why starting now can improve your new year:

1. You can ease into things- So your goal for 2018 is to eat clean and go to the gym 3 times a week. If you start now, you can work on cutting out small amounts of bad food at a time and try going to the gym once a week to build a routine. That way, when 2018 hits, you won’t just be throwing yourself straight into the line of fire and expecting yourself to remain committed to two large changes without any integration.
2. You can plan- Maybe your goal in 2018 is to travel more. Don’t wait until 2018 to start thinking about what you want to do! Start planning now. I know there is only a few days left in the year, but this is my prime planning time because I am off of work and have the time to sit down and think about this stuff. Utilize off time and down time wisely before the new year so when things go back to their normal hecticness, you won’t be struggling to plan those trips.
3. You can educate yourself- So maybe you’re really set on saving your goals for 2018 and starting now would feel like cheating, then educate yourself. If your goal for next year is to get really into yoga, then do some research! You don’t even need to touch a mat, but you could still educate yourself before going into your experience blind. This really applies to any goal. The more you know before you start, the better you will do.
4. A year is 365 days, it doesn’t matter where you start- If I started a goal today to lose 30 lbs, then I have 365 days to complete that goal in the same way I would have 365 days if I started on January 1st. January 1st isn’t the only day 1, it is only day 1 on the calendar. If you start now, you can even think of it as a head start if you want to give yourself until January 1st 2019 to complete what you’re aiming for.
5. There is no such thing as the perfect time- I feel like people consider a new year to be a perfect time to start something, but there is really no such thing as the perfect time. We spend our whole lives waiting for the “best time” to get started with something when the truth is, there may never be a good time. Just start. Start planning trips around the world. Start looking for a new job. Start working out and eating clean. Just start.
6. Don’t feel pressured to have the same resolution as everyone else- The first week of a new year is my favorite time to drive past the local Planet Fitness because the building is packed wall to wall with “New Year, New Me” people. Then as the month goes on I watch that number dwindle further and further down until it’s just a handful of people who were either already regulars at the gym, or the few people who were genuinely committed to their resolution. Don’t just say your resolution is to go to the gym if you freaking hate the gym with every fiber of your being. You’re not obligated to have the same resolution as everyone has. If you hate the gym but wanna get fit, try your own thing. Start rock climbing, pilates, yoga, etc. You don’t have to have the same “new year, time to hit the gym” mentality as everyone else.

Overall, I think that a new year is a super inspiring and refreshing time to make plans and take charge of your life. But, if you already have a vision in your head, start now. Don’t wait until it’s too late.

Happy Final Days of Blogmas and 2017~

Jess~