WHO ARE YOU KIDDING?
5 Reasons Why Your ‘New Year Resolutions’ Will Inevitably Fail.
Again.
Let me guess — new year, new you huh?
Except, you’re exactly the same person you were on the 31st of December. The exact same.
There was no genie out of the bottle that magically turned you into a brand new individual.
So those new year resolutions you obsessively tackled with your planner and annotations are still going to tank.
And here’s why…
1. You’re Delusional.
Those ridiculously ambitious and unrealistic expectations you set on your aesthetically pleasing vision board probably hold resentment towards you by now.
You keep them on a tablet or planner…collecting dust, every fucking year and somehow muster the audacity to be shocked, when the year ends and you’re standing in the same exact spot…lamenting on how much time you wasted and experiences you missed out on.
How ridiculous is that? The grandeur of delusion that one must possess to expect a different equation while applying the exact same formula.
Tiktokers have popularized a phrase — delulu is the solulu which, in short, translates to…delusion is the solution.
Pretty neat huh? Except delusion without consistent application of knowledge is simply that — delusion.
So…
Quit it — snap out of your head, I know it’s warm and cozy to day dream unlived idealized versions of yourself but it won’t get you anywhere if that’s all you do.
If you’re going to set unrealistic expectations, make damn sure you establish a realistic system to experience said priorities.
2. You Suffer From Analysis Paralysis.
I get it, making decisions is a bitch. There are infinite amount of choices waiting to be made every waking hour and that…can be exhausting. The decision fatigue in and of itself is paralyzing to say the least.
Your being a perfectionist doesn’t make that phenomenon any easier. You obsess over tiny details cause the devil is in them (pun intended) and you are gobsmacked about which route is the best one to take.
Essentially, you want to figure everything out all at once, to please everyone, to escape any discomfort and simultaneously live a perfect life.
Well, guess what…
It doesn’t work like that. Your inability to make firm decisions cause you’re paralyzed by analysis will simply do that — paralyze you.
Learn (however difficult it is) to exercise your decision making muscles by consciously choosing a decision that YOU are happy with and stick to it. And if you’re not happy with it in the long run, there’s always more time to re-evaluate.
Whatever decision you make, rest assured…it will be the right one.
Elin Dieme explores this concept beautifully in a piece titled: How Sylvia Plath’s “The Fig Tree” Changed My Perspective on Life.
3. You Are A Drifter.
Context — In his book, “Outwitting The Devil” Napoleon Hill interviews Satan (Yeah, I know…fun stuff).
Essentially — Napoleon is fishing answers out of this guy, regarding how he manages to distract his enemies a.k.a believers.
Don’t get hung up on the semantics of religion here…stay with me.
Anyway, part of that conversation goes something like:
Napoleon: Describe all the ways in which you induce people to drift.
Define the word and tell us exactly what you mean by it.
Satan: I can best define the word “drift” by saying that people who think for themselves never drift, while those who do little or no thinking for themselves are drifters.
A drifter is one who permits himself to be influenced and controlled by circumstances outside of his own mind.
He would rather let me occupy his mind and do his thinking than go to the trouble of thinking for himself.
A drifter is one who accepts whatever life throws in his way without making a protest or putting up a fight.
He doesn’t know what he wants from life and spends all of his time getting just that.
A drifter has lots of opinions, but they are not his own.
Most of them are supplied by me.
A drifter is one who is too lazy mentally to use his own brain.
That is the reason I can take control of people’s thinking and plant my own ideas in their minds….
My control over the mind of a human being is obtained while the person is young.
Sometimes I lay the foundation for my control of a mind before the owner of it is born, by manipulating the minds of that person’s parents.
Sometimes I go further back than this and prepare people for my control through what you earthbound call “physical heredity.”
Now — you might be wondering “Mara, what’s this got to do with my fucking new year resolutions mate?”
Well, the simple point to that long-winded analogy is that you’re prone to ‘distraction’.
Yes, you do focus (sometimes and inconsistently so) but your threshold is close to none.
The unused space of your brain is easily accessible to shiny things that have nothing to do with your purpose. And you let it happen without putting up a fight.
In short — have some respect for your vision and/ purpose. Find out what drives you to drifting and come up with mitigation strategies for when it eventually happens.
4. You’re An Ungrateful Bastard
I apologize for calling you a bastard (got carried away).
Anyhow, gratitude is one of the most overlooked aspects of life when one is attempting to revamp their lives.
Hunger for more when you can barely stomach what’s right in your face is poisonous to your wellbeing.
Granted — complacency is breeding ground for mediocrity, however greed is just as vulgar.
Seek instead to strike a balance between an appreciation of what you already have and an aspiration towards what you desire.
A little context — before you go on your next shopping haul, consider giving away clothes you don’t need anymore / books / furniture /…you get the point.
Be grateful for what you have. Share it with others and watch it multiply.
5. You’re Trying To Outrun Yourself.
Have you ever asked yourself why you’re so obsessed with changing who you are?
And by yourself, I don’t just mean unhealthy habits you’re trying to break.
That idealized version of yourself that’s living rent free in your head, where did it come from?
Is it from an authentic intention to be in alignment with your higher self?
Or…
Is it self loathing?
Or…
Is it an unconscious instruction manual from the world?
Whatever the answer is:
Whatever you run from, you run into. As they say ‘wherever you go, there you are’.
The point is you can’t possibly outrun yourself. You cannot escape your own shadow except by shining a light on it. (So cliche I know).
If you’ve read this far, I truly appreciate you. And I wish you the best with all your new year resolutions.
If you enjoy my articles and would like to support me, you can buy me a coffee 👇🏾
