New year, same you…
2022 is here. With the beginning of a new year comes the feeling of starting fresh, creating new opportunities, and leaving the past behind. The phrase you often hear is new year, new me! You are right, its a new year. But its the same you that has always been there.
While I agree that the start of the new year is a great launching point to better yourself, there is misconception that you can wipe the slate clean and move forward. I think that this misconception is the exact reason that in 2020 the average American only kept their new years resolution for 36 days. Don’t get me wrong, I think it is good to pause and take a breath. I think it’s necessary to do self assessments each year and acknowledge what you’ve done right and what you’ve done wrong. It’s great to celebrate where you’ve succeeded and evaluate where you fell short.
If you really want to make lasting change you must acknowledge your addictions, your laziness, and your shortcomings. You must face your demons head on and acknowledge that they are a part of you before you can put in the work to better yourself. You have to become comfortable being in a space with those demons without running away or pushing them under the rug. If you don’t, they will slowly creep back in and derail anything you are trying to accomplish.
Real change happens when you are disciplined enough get up and embrace the grind on the days that the motivation is not there.
It is easy to make progress on days where you are motivated. But after a while, those days become fewer and farther in between. January will move into February and the new year new me motivation will be hard to capture. Hence why most people in 2020 only kept their resolution for a little over a month.
Once again, before you can get through the days where motivation is hard to find, you must first embrace your faults. You have to tell yourself the truth. That is where discipline comes from. Discipline is rooted in the truth we tell ourselves and discipline delivers long-term strategic success.
I personally feel like I am a pretty disciplined person. I haven’t always been. I have struggled with addiction to food, laziness, and lust. But the discipline I have cultivated in my life is there because I face my demons every day. I acknowledge that they are there. I also know and understand my long-term goals and I know why those goals are important. Because I know and face my demons every day, I also know how they prevent me from being the best version of myself.
