I slick my hair back –
a little tighter than usual – and I remove every ounce of makeup on my face.
Who cares what I look like today? It’s just me; earphones are in, treadmill at
the ready and the little fire in my belly ignites. The cold blast of
air-conditioning as I open the door to the gym, the habitual sound of
pounding cardio machines - I know what I have to do, and my body is
about to be pushed to its limits. The gym is a little more packed than usual,
which can only mean one thing. The New Year has arrived; the hard work has
begun. Resolutions have been made, and I see rows of determined faces.
But guess what? Only 8
per cent of people who make New Years resolutions actually see it through and
achieve their goals. What on earth happened to the other 92 per cent?
It seems we start the
New Year feeling rather kick ass, too big for our boots, coming up with
unrealistic goals and resolutions that seem to fall short after a couple of
weeks. The left over booze and chocolate in the cupboard becomes more appealing
than shredding those winter pounds, or as a nation of procrastinators, thoughts
such as, ‘oh, I’ll change career path next year instead’ start to creep in. No
- the time is now.
I – for sure – am also
guilty of this. I really cannot say I’ve been an advocate for positive thinking
over the past couple of years. Chasing things that I’ve felt no true passion or
fire for, going to the gym half-heartedly hoping I’d suddenly wake up with a
good body. I’m telling you now, being that half-hearted person will never bring
you the satisfaction and fulfilment you’re looking for.
“It always comes back to fulfilment”
Fulfilment is something
that often comes up when I ask people about their resolutions. I’m always
intrigued to know other people’s goals and aspirations for the New Year,
because more often than not, it always comes back to fulfilment. Whether it’s
just to be a happier, more appreciative person, or to finally feel good in a
bikini for summer, we look to achieve something that will ultimately make us
better and stronger people – whether it’s egotistical or for inner-peace is
another story.
But it’s not that
annual search for fulfilment that stops us from achieving the goals we set.
It’s something we do everyday; you’ve probably done it today already.
It’s that tiny part of
your brain that listens intently to the people who tell you it’s not possible,
to our society that expects you to look, feel and be a certain way. Sure,
making goals to prove those people wrong, or the excitement of wearing your new
gym gear sparks a little fire in the belly, but for the long term? Trust me,
the novelty will wear off.
“It has to come from you. You have to feel it, want it, embrace and relentlessly fight for it – without ego, or fear of what others think or want for you.”
Success comes from you.
If you are constantly doing something to make other people happy or because
society says it’s the ‘right thing to do’, negativity will creep in, and
negativity will obliterate any form of progress you could make.
It has to come from
you. You have to feel it, want it, embrace and relentlessly fight for it –
without ego, or fear of what others think or want for you. The goals and
resolutions you make come from a place of unhappiness in some shape or form,
otherwise you wouldn’t feel the need to make a change in the first place. So,
whatever you want to be, whatever you want to achieve, become it, embrace it
and feel it with every fibre of your being. Others expectations and what’s
considered to be the norm shouldn’t come into it. And from my own experience –
I’ve well and truly learnt the hard way – making everything else background
noise and doing something well and truly, completely for you is when the magic
starts to happen.
Whatever your reason
for making a change, it has to be strong enough to keep you from wavering.
Because when it comes down to it, it’s just you and that treadmill, you and
that conscious decision between the sweet draw and the salad. It all starts
with you, so make sure your resolution comes from a meaningful place because
when the hurdles start coming at you – and there will be many – you will be
strong enough to tackle anything.
How about you make it
to that little 8 per cent then? Or even better, we all do it together. Imagine
the year you actually achieve what you set out to achieve and the satisfaction
you can feel when you look back and see how far you’ve come. Don’t be that
half-hearted person. However big or small your New Years resolution may be, it
matters. Self-improvement is a journey that can be taken up at any time of the
year, but what better time to start than now.
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