I understood New Year’s resolutions a little better when I was younger. Growing up, a year seemed like an eternity! Getting an entire year behind me felt like a huge accomplishment, and looking forward to a new year was like standing at the bottom of a mountain. Now that I’m older, and especially a mom, time goes by much faster.
Of course, things can change drastically over the course of a year, but a year doesn’t feel as long as it once did to me. And, if there’s something you really want to change about your life, waiting for January seems like an awfully good way to set yourself up for disappointment for an entire year if you aren’t able to stick with it.
I’m not saying goal setting is altogether ridiculous. I’m very goal-oriented, and having something to look forward to or accomplish is what gets me out of bed in the morning. But why wait until the beginning of the year? Why not start today? If you want to start losing weight, examine your diet now. If you want to finish college, apply tonight. I’ve found there’s no perfect time for most things in life, and that won’t change just because the calendar is on a different year.
Being a mom is hard, and it’s a job riddled with guilt. I’m not a self-deprecating person by nature, but motherhood is a role that shakes my self-confidence on a daily basis. My daughter is two, so the way we start out 2016 is going to be 100 percent different that how we end it, no matter what resolutions I do or don’t make. That being said, I also know many people who have made great strides from New Year’s resolutions, and I tip my hat to those who have.
