The phrase Happy new year always seemed hollow to me; How do we know it will be happy at all? We don't.
This time last year many millions of people were saying it and making resolutions for the coming year. Here in Australia we were in the midst of the most devastating wildfires we'd ever had and were on the fringe of hearing about a thing called Covid-19; You might have heard of it in the last twelve months or so. We know now the year was generally not happy at all, for most of us...I wonder how those new years resolutions went?
I've never made new years resolutions; It just didn't feel worth it and as I got older I began to understand making a statement of intent doesn't make that intention come to fruition; It takes a little more than that. It's for that reason I set goals with attached plans instead of new years resolutions. I make them around mid-December after taking the time to investigate how the year-to-date has transpired, how the current years' goals had played out and determining the following year's requirements.
Image taken by me...The last sunset of 2020.
Thoughts, attitudes and actions
I'm a believer in ownership of self: My thoughts, attitudes and actions. By owning them, applying effort and action, is how I move forward and I take the same approach in respect to my yearly goals which is why I feel last year realisations are more important than new year resolutions.
Keep in mind this is my blog and so relates to me...Y'all can do what you like, it's your life. But for me looking back and making some realisations about how the previous year went is very important; My goals, the plans to achieve them, attitudes, actions, how I treated others, how my job went, my personal life, health, social life, financial matters...All aspects of the year get investigated to determine areas for improvement, to work on in the coming year, and aspects that worked well which would be advantageous to carry forward.
It's those realisations that help me ascertain the goals I'd like to set, how plans get put together and what changes may be necessary based on what I've learned in the year preceding.
It's a mindset thing really, a chance to expand my paradigm to encompass those historical lessons of the year prior, with the intention of making the forthcoming year a little more valuable, successful, happy, productive and generally enjoyable, all based around the previous year and the requirements of the new one. It's more strategic than simply stating something will or will not happen in the upcoming year.
This process works for me, far more effectively than new years resolutions ever did, but it may not for you; My suggestion is that you do what works as there's no hard and fast rule around it...It's your life just like mine is my own. I do what works for me and my wife Faith who also doesn't do new years resolutions but others have to find their own path.
So tell me how you do it. Do you start the year off with one overarching this is going to be a great year statement or do you set a few resolutions for yourself? What do you base it on? The past year and what requirements you have for the new one? Do you simply start the year and let come what may drifting along in directions life takes you? Or are you like me with some set goals and a plan for each? We'll all have a different strategies I guess, that's what makes us, us.
I don't know if there's a right or wrong answer, just your answer, and mine, so tell me...What's up?
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised.
Be well
Discord: galenkp#9209
It looks like the kind of logical thinking that's compatible with my pragmatic mindset. Certainly, new year resolutions are things that tend to come without putting much thought through it. Your idea captures what a life plan should look like in different stages and considering when do you want to see profit or its goals met. It isn't new year here for some hours, but I have made up my mind and organize the things I want to be doing regularly when the clock resets at midnight. This time I put a little but more effort in simplifying these ideas and setting the path to follow in order to achieve them.
I can't say Happy New Year now, but I can think of something far better to tell. I hope this year doesn't come with setbacks for your goals and if it does, that your ideas and will be enough to surmount these obstacle!
I'm reasonably pragmatic by nature also so it's not unusual for me to think this way about resolutions...It all just seems a little pointless and aimless. Of course, a goal could sound a little like a new years resolution however it wold have have to have the attributes of a goal to qualify: Achievable, measurable and time limited.
Anyway, I hope your year rolls out in the way you intend it to and that you're flexible enough to adapt if (when) it foes not.
We shall see. I already went sleeping some hours before the year ended to prevent myself from starting a groggy new year and so far, it started well.
Way to go!
I had a great first day, I just posted about it. Loved it. Now just watching a documentary on sharks and half asleep...Decent first day of the year.
Ha, ha, ha. I'm just waiting to reheat leftovers for it to be a proper first day of the year!
It's nice it has started well. I could bear to do some yoga right out of bed, so I guess that's a good beginning too.
Yeah, we had leftovers for dinner tonight actually. Was tasty though.
We spent the day at a place called Glenelg, a seaside spot. It was a stunning day and a lot of fun. If every day of the year was like today I'd be happy...They won't be though. 🥴
One can only hope things go smoothly, but it's just a beautiful dream. I'm glad to know Faith and you had a nice day to start this 2021.
I do hope 2021 will be better than 2020 was.
Fingers crossed huh?
Indeed.
"Ownership of self" use to be the way of the majority.. not so much these days.. Seems reliant on government has captured the mindset of half the population over here.. Now when the free stuff dries up most will be forced to rely on their own wits and skills.. Will see how that winds up .. make your new year as happy as you can .. 😊
Happy new year to you too Mike, I hope you can create a good one in the shape you desire.
I agree with you also, when the handouts stop many will find themselves lacking the skills and ability to fend for themselves...But one can tell the masses that, they're too ingrained in their ways. It's a shame but some, (many) will need to learn the hard way.
This resolutions thing is a bit of a cultural phenomenon that was not common before such social network trends spread here. At least, not so much...
Then again, we always felt it offered new chances. As if we knew we had wasted the old ones. But avoided considering that.
Come what may is an awesome song by Iced Earth ;) And in a sense it's a good philosophy if you complement it with Let me do my best...
Plans...plans are good to have so that you know what did not go as expected and how to fix it in the general direction of our will. And I postpone plans, taking preliminary steps in that general direction. Meanwhile, that is.
Goals...see plans. All right. I have them goals and I need to make plans but what I love doing is finding alternatives.
I think I shall do a recollection of that past year as well and start from there. I agree that's also useful. Both setting goals and analyzing past performance.
In the pause between years I picked three ancient books to learn what I can from. Well...they were too ancient to easily translate to our reality. Still...I love knowing about history and making my own translations.
Oh, new years resolutions are a reasonably new concept up there? I can remember people making them for as long as my memory goes back and I'm 50. I've never seen the point and rarely has anyone I've known followed through with them. It's also like goals without plans...They're better called dreams! It's not the goal that achieves itself, but the plans to achieve the goals that makes them happen - In my opinion anyway. Putting it out there to the universe isn't enough to bring things to fruition, one must act. That's where the plan comes in.
Anyway, thanks for commenting with your thoughts, you always add good value through your comments and I'm grateful.
Awesome sunset picture, lovely way to end a challenging year. I look forward to a much better year, I received a job offer that will start at the end of the current lockdown.
Thanks mate, yeah it was a nice beach walk and was good to watch the sun set on last year, finally.
So, you accepted the job? Nice work. I hope lockdown ends soon and you can get started.
Yes, I accepted. I had a great feeling about the interview and really felt good about the person I would be working for.
That's great news and hopefully you'll give us a generic update down the track. I hope it all goes well.
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I got to start this new year off strong by consoling my fiancee due to the fact her friend/co-worker died from Covid this afternoon. What a great year it's going to be, I'm suuure.
Hmm, that sucks ass.
You're right too, a date change won't make everything better...Let's see how it plays out huh?
"Happy new year" is just a wish that the person you say it to will have a good year (whatever that may mean for them personally), like "have a good one" or "good luck" as far as I'm concerned XP
I stopped making resolutions ages ago, and after that stopped making plans because every time I did, it was almost guaranteed that something would happen to completely and utterly render them fubar. I'm pretty good at detangling and picking up pieces but there were often times when after that happened I couldn't be bothered as doing so was actually a metric boatload more work than trying a different way. So now I just have ideas about where things are going to go and kind of just get there eventually.
So happy new year ;D
Yeah, I figured you'd say something like this as I know that you have an aversion to goal-setting and the plans attached to them...Or you say you do. I have some doubts. Aimless isn't a way I'd describe you based on the little I know; I could be wrong of course and probably am. Either way, you need to do what works and if no plans work in your life then do that. For me, no plans doesn't work.
Anyway, in lieu of happy new year I'm going to say fantabulistic current moment in time.
I'm not aimless in the slightest :)
Nope, didn't think you were.
I try to analyse my previous year and find the flaws in my way of thinking. Of course that we strive to over achieve in the next year.... I guess that we need to focus on what we can do rather than dwelling into the past. We can't change 2020 but we can always make today better than yesterday.
I hope it will be a great year for you and Faith, G.! You both deserve it!
Well, as someone who loves history, I spend a lot of time dwelling in the past...I find the people more interesting in history than in the present.
I can understand what you're saying. There have been some changes in human behaviour which led to the apathy we see today. People have the comfort of putting their mind to pause and this is not a good thing. It leads to lack of action towards self development. I guess that when you have it all good most people stop fighting. Fighting for ideas, dreams, freedom, thinking...
We do not know it, we do not know if next year will be good, but it is a wish. We are simply wishing the other person a happy new year, and we are letting the other person know that we want them to be happy.
It takes more than making a statement, it takes action, but making your goals clear is important. I also start in December to set new goals and analyze the year that has passed.
Yes it takes more than making a statement, it takes action, but making your goals clear is important. I also start in December to set new goals and analyze the year that has passed.
A resolution can easily become a plan, when we begin to think about how to make them come true, and by taking action, that resolution becomes a realization. I don't think there is anything wrong with making resolutions, the problem is that people forget those resolutions very easily, a direction is drawn and then it is forgotten.
I do believe in a certain way in the magic of the universe, but I also believe that if we do nothing we will not achieve anything, only with action will we be able to see the different opportunities that life offers us.
I make resolutions for the year and each month, of what I would like to see happen each month. I try not to limit myself and put everything that goes through my mind even if I think
Then according to what I wrote, I start to design a plan to make it possible. What I consider I cannot achieve I give it to the "universe". But while I sleep or in some way or another the answer comes to my mind, how to do to comply with that.
However, last year I made resolutions but I did not include myself in it, I was discouraged, I did not want to take responsibility I suppose. Ironically what I wrote was fulfilled.
This year is different, I do not ask the universe for anything. I ask and demand of myself. This year I am taking my responsibility.
Taking ownership and responsibility is a good idea and I wish you all the best with it, and the year.