New Year New Me?

I think I always believed that a new year brings new opportunities and as always, the freedom to change. The feeling of the excitement a new year brings is nothing new, and with countless numbers of new year’s resolutions swirling in the air I find myself at the same conundrum. What do I bring to the new year?

Normally it’s the basic resolutions, weight loss, no-drinking, bullet journaling, short hair don’t care, become a whole new person, that sort of mess. New years bring a shot at redemption, right? All of those mistakes and failures of the previous year dissolves and you can literally start anew.

But this year I find myself dwindling. 21 years down and I have never successfully completed a resolution before. But yet I find myself still setting unrealistic goals to bring into the new year. Like learning whole new skills at the drop of a hat, but I know that by March I will have given up. Mainly because life takes over, you slip into old habits and you find yourself stuck in the same rabbit hole you did the year before.

So take weight loss. Yes some people do achieve this, but personally I have just been given countless amounts of Christmas chocolate, booze and social events to attend that means it’s impossible to sit and crack my eating habits a mere 7 days after the holidays (unless you plan on eating all the temptations first, for which I applaud you.)

I truly believe that people want to change their lives in the new year but know deep in their hearts it’s probably not going to last forever. You have to find your niche into the year, something small to work on that really makes you excited. This is the only way you will find year long resolutions is thinking of something small, or a concept to work your year around.

You aren’t going to change your mentality, the way your body works from the get-go. This sort of change isn’t when the fireworks go off and the clock counts down the few remaining seconds. Change is gradual, messy even. You hit hurdles, break them, work around them and eventually conquer.

The social events you practically need booze to get through. The running, the learning a new language, becoming a yoga instructor whatever isn’t something you really want to do, so why set it as a goal for the year? You aren’t setting goals that are soul-fulfilling, that truly make you excited or happy in the new year, so why bother trying to fill that with another resolution to add to the resolution graveyard.

Maybe just this year I’ll not become a whole new person when the clock hits midnight. With 2020 being a crappy year for all, maybe the best you can hope for is a year that sparks some joy imaginable, or a year that brings you a little bit of love. Those are the most important resolutions of all.

So what am I going to do? I’m going to paint a bit more, practise a little more self-love, and give 2021 Heather a little compassion that she doesn’t have to be an achiever to be worth something. Bring it on.

Published by Heather Dalgleish


One thought on “New Year New Me?

  1. Very well said. Self compassion and taking lil steps are the best goals. Messing up is all part of the journey. Even if you set goals and you do not complete them that is okay. Goals are simply a guide to reach somewhere and sometimes that changes depending on where you are in life. It is okay to change directions and quit a goal if you realise that it really doesn’t align with your values.
    Have a wonderful year.

    Liked by 1 person

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