Wednesday, 02 January 2013 15:56 | Written by Meron Abraha |
Yesterday was the first day of a new year - the day we all vow to be better than we were the year before.
While it's just only a change of dates, the New Year has for long been considered an important event signifying a new beginning – a fresh start, where one pauses to look back to the past year, and more importantly, forward to the coming one, reflecting on the changes he or she wants or has to make and resolves to follow them through.
That's why every New Year, after the partying spree for the occasion, people rush into talking about making resolutions, which are supposedly aimed at rectifying the faults of past year while making the new one a lot more promising.
These resolutions have this strange habit of hiding away for the first three hundred something days of a year to then suddenly awaken on the last day, triggering a rush. And even then, the fate of these resolutions taken in all earnestness ends is sealed by their being forgotten in the euphoria of starting a brand new year.
I bet many of you have had your list of resolutions drawn up for the umpteenth time but seriously, how many of you pursue them beyond the first few weeks of the next year? Probably just a few!
I recall a conversation I had with an acquaintance a few years back. He insisted that as the year changes people should also be able to change some aspects of their lives - be it in their diets, habits or etiquette... There was no way of convincing him otherwise.
But my belief has been, and for quite some time now, that if we can actually do those changes on New Year, there is no reason why we shouldn't do them on any other day in the course of the year.
Every day has been a brand new day, a new beginning: a day for reflecting upon self-improvement. Instead, we wait for a New Year most of the time forgetting that the year we are waiting for to end was also a new one in its time.
In other words, we seem to be ignoring the fact that the New Year is only a continuation in the cycle that man has put forward for his own measurement of time.
And that's why I came to think that if as people we MUST make resolutions then we should at least think in terms of the day's resolutions rather than the year's. And one doesn't necessarily need a resolution for something he or she can do every day.
But instead of resolutions [which are often vague to begin with and can make us feel bad if not completed], we could perhaps opt for a list of things that we want the most.
In lieu of making resolutions is an alternative that doesn't have the concept of success or failure. You can choose one word, or even two or more (they could be emotions that are important to you) as a personal mantra for the New Year and focus on living right by them. Happiness, courage, strength, generosity, simplicity and the like are good examples.
I am an avid reader of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series, usually featuring a collection of short and dense inspirational stories and motivational essays. With over 200 titles, many of the books are directed at specific groups of people.
I brought up the book series because I wanted to quote a passage from a story I read in one of them. The article, written by a Deborah Batt, starts with a quotation by Joseph Campbell: "We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us."
And in her story, Deborah states:
"... I learned that each year brings new hope for things to come and problems are never so big that death should ever be the only answer. I learned that plans change and we need to be flexible, and when I can help someone who has experienced a loss, I want to do it because it makes me feel good to help. I learned to rejoice over the little things and indulge in the simple things, such as spending time with family and friends. I learned that a four year old has more strength than most grown-ups and resilience is indeed a gift. I learned that it's okay to let go of those who don't make us feel good about ourselves, and it's okay to feel lonely every now and then; we're human.
And I learned that life is not about predicting what will happen next, but about learning from the moments that will make up the next moments.
It's December 31st again, exactly 11:30P.M., and once again I'm going to make a resolution for the New Year to come. Nothing grandiose, just this: this year I will appreciate the experiences that I am given and hope that through the months to come I will learn a little something about myself, my world, and my life that may just make it a little better than it was before..."
Yes, Deborah did make a resolution but not one to change herself (as we often tend to do). She instead decided to remain herself and face life head on.
I can't insist that people should refrain from taking resolves as the New Year sets in but neither can I encourage people to take on resolutions that are not that easy to keep. Either way, I remain of the opinion that we should look forward to seeing what next year brings us [without making any New Year's Resolutions].
So this year, I will make a resolution to not make any new year's resolutions.
That is my choice. What will yours be?
Last Updated (Friday, 04 January 2013 15:55)
Received on Fri Jan 04 2013 - 13:24:22 EST
