You-turn

Human beings relish the privilege of lying. Before the first of January, we prepare a list with goals to achieve. Making resolutions is not bad, but being accustomed to the habit of not fulfilling those resolutions is worse. Today, it’s normalized and has almost become a tradition to break promises made to one’s own self. And thus, the leading month of the year is awarded the epithet of ‘the lying season’ for most, every year.

Soon, we become the product of our broken promises. Instead of making new resolutions every year, with many unfinished or midway abandoned resolutions like the innumerable online courses we start, but never finish; self-reflecting and actually introspecting our past attempts sounds like a stronger remedy. Framework which guides a change from within, is the need of the hour. A new you can still emerge from your older aspirations. Sitting back and pondering over why we decided to make a certain resolution can give birth to bundle of small motivation sparks.

In due course, I have realized that the simple filter of ‘goal met or goal failed’ misses the arc of time, effort and rumination that was required to articulate them. In all, the meaning and the time taken to realize and decide these aspirations, weighs more than the final terminal. The essential thing is digging into what you want to change and understanding why you want to change it—allows us to live our lives with purpose. Which further drives us to take more agency of our choices and to improve our lives. 

Whether you check off each of your New Year’s resolutions or not, comprehending why those things matter is just as essential. Our life is just a large collection of small acts, so do them wisely. This will succor you to get where you need to go in the end.

New Year resolutions aren’t definite things. Deciding that you want to change your life is, unfortunately, not enough to actually change it. Even if the final destination isn’t quite where you’d intended to be, the journey of navigating oneself has a truckload of significance.

While moving forward on the highway, remember to take timely You-turns for self-introspection.

By Mahek Medh