A new year. A new you. That's what most optimistic Americans seems to agree upon. A season of change will undoubtedly run its very short, almost invisible course through the hamburger clogged veins of modern society. How long will these resolutions last, these unabridged attempts at unveiling a younger, newer S type version of yourself? Just how long will it last I wonder.
Well, I guess it truly depends on the level of optimism one has, coupled with ambitious drive and I even hate to say this word, but I think naivety plays a small part in the resolution onslaught that will unfold at record speeds before most of our squinting eyes.
Instead of taking on one thing at a time, I've noticed that Americans in particular, seem to think that they can take on all their problems at one fell swoop of a ticking time clock, probably as a result of our aggressively over-zealous and conceited tendencies, which increasingly seem to be the world at large's opinion of Americans, and not too far off from the truth in my opinion. The ticking hand is more of a ticking time bomb when it comes to resolutions.
Instead of trying to change one thing at a time, most of us have ridiculous aspirations, that turn out to be just that- an aspiration, having never been recognized as truth in our lives. We try to take on these "whole life alterations, " as a friend called his January 1 demand he has placed so rigidly on himself. He will most assuredly fail. Sorry buddy.
I'm not cynical when I say that, because fact alone will show, and I don't have the exact figures or the article it came from, but it's fact that when one person takes on multiple challenges at one specific time, it is highly improbable to expect that he succeeds in all aspects of the challenge. How do I know this? Duh. I've lived it.
I've done it before. I've failed with flying colors. I've made success look evil. I've made losing look like winning before, and guess what.
It's all been in that one month that everyone thinks they will be a winner- January. Most of us have.
I have made claims that I will lose twenty pounds, quit smoking cigarettes and pot (at the same time), quit drinking altogether, exercise 5 times a week. Who does that? OK don't answer that, I know people who do, and they are perfectly fine in my book, but truth be told- when it's our time to go, it's our time to go, and no amount of running in 25 degree weather with your black or yellow lab, or racquetball at the Y with gay Mike, or weight lifting at 6pm when the gym is chock full of stressed out, over-worked, prematurely balding bankers, no amount of working your scrawny or muscular body will change that.
We have all made claims that we will change something in our lives, and if we are smart we have realized that those things that we are trying to change are vices grips holding our lives. We realize that these weights that we carry around our necks, these burdens on our souls that we can't seem to let go of, are doing nothing for us, but helping us to sink at a much faster rate.
We are all sinking in this life. It comes with the territory. It's just a matter of who will swim against the current faster and harder, and who wants to free themselves of burdens, and who is willing to be slowed by theirs.
True, we all have good intentions, at least the people that I like to be around do. We want the best for ourselves, or we wouldn't even try to set a resolution. Hopefully, we want the best for each other, and helping our friends reach their goals and make resolutions a reality can be a resolution we can all achieve.
If you have a friend who is making it a goal of his to stop drinking, don't be that guy who asks him to go out for an IPA after work. If you have a friend who is wanting to lose weight, encourage him to get to the gym instead of playing Xbox for four hours. More importantly, if I want to make it a resolution to have a daily routine in my life, give me tips on how you do it. I have no idea.
So, like most Americans who suffer from the normal American cockiness, I'm taking on multiple challenges this year. I'm lumping all my resolutions into one word- routine.
Routine can be defined as doing a number of activities in the same order everyday. So instead of taking on multiple resolutions this year, I, like most Americans who give a shit, will try to take on a new routine. Granted, that routine might include not doing this, and doing more of that, and eliminating that and increasing this, but I will try my damnedest, like most other people I know and love, to keep to my resolution for 2012.
Happy freaking 2012!
Quick clarification: I successfully resolved putting any sort of smoke in my lungs years ago. If I can do it, you can do it.
Well, I guess it truly depends on the level of optimism one has, coupled with ambitious drive and I even hate to say this word, but I think naivety plays a small part in the resolution onslaught that will unfold at record speeds before most of our squinting eyes.
Instead of taking on one thing at a time, I've noticed that Americans in particular, seem to think that they can take on all their problems at one fell swoop of a ticking time clock, probably as a result of our aggressively over-zealous and conceited tendencies, which increasingly seem to be the world at large's opinion of Americans, and not too far off from the truth in my opinion. The ticking hand is more of a ticking time bomb when it comes to resolutions.
Instead of trying to change one thing at a time, most of us have ridiculous aspirations, that turn out to be just that- an aspiration, having never been recognized as truth in our lives. We try to take on these "whole life alterations, " as a friend called his January 1 demand he has placed so rigidly on himself. He will most assuredly fail. Sorry buddy.
I'm not cynical when I say that, because fact alone will show, and I don't have the exact figures or the article it came from, but it's fact that when one person takes on multiple challenges at one specific time, it is highly improbable to expect that he succeeds in all aspects of the challenge. How do I know this? Duh. I've lived it.
I've done it before. I've failed with flying colors. I've made success look evil. I've made losing look like winning before, and guess what.
It's all been in that one month that everyone thinks they will be a winner- January. Most of us have.
I have made claims that I will lose twenty pounds, quit smoking cigarettes and pot (at the same time), quit drinking altogether, exercise 5 times a week. Who does that? OK don't answer that, I know people who do, and they are perfectly fine in my book, but truth be told- when it's our time to go, it's our time to go, and no amount of running in 25 degree weather with your black or yellow lab, or racquetball at the Y with gay Mike, or weight lifting at 6pm when the gym is chock full of stressed out, over-worked, prematurely balding bankers, no amount of working your scrawny or muscular body will change that.
We have all made claims that we will change something in our lives, and if we are smart we have realized that those things that we are trying to change are vices grips holding our lives. We realize that these weights that we carry around our necks, these burdens on our souls that we can't seem to let go of, are doing nothing for us, but helping us to sink at a much faster rate.
We are all sinking in this life. It comes with the territory. It's just a matter of who will swim against the current faster and harder, and who wants to free themselves of burdens, and who is willing to be slowed by theirs.
True, we all have good intentions, at least the people that I like to be around do. We want the best for ourselves, or we wouldn't even try to set a resolution. Hopefully, we want the best for each other, and helping our friends reach their goals and make resolutions a reality can be a resolution we can all achieve.
If you have a friend who is making it a goal of his to stop drinking, don't be that guy who asks him to go out for an IPA after work. If you have a friend who is wanting to lose weight, encourage him to get to the gym instead of playing Xbox for four hours. More importantly, if I want to make it a resolution to have a daily routine in my life, give me tips on how you do it. I have no idea.
So, like most Americans who suffer from the normal American cockiness, I'm taking on multiple challenges this year. I'm lumping all my resolutions into one word- routine.
Routine can be defined as doing a number of activities in the same order everyday. So instead of taking on multiple resolutions this year, I, like most Americans who give a shit, will try to take on a new routine. Granted, that routine might include not doing this, and doing more of that, and eliminating that and increasing this, but I will try my damnedest, like most other people I know and love, to keep to my resolution for 2012.
Happy freaking 2012!
Quick clarification: I successfully resolved putting any sort of smoke in my lungs years ago. If I can do it, you can do it.
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