Why I Gave up on My New Year Resolutions.
And no, I am not selling everything and moving to a remote farmstead.
It’s 4 months into 2024 and I have given up on my New Year’s resolutions.
This is not something an aspiring productivity guru should say. I should be chanting Never give up. Spewing motivation rhymes about pressing onward. Quotes such as ‘If you give up, you fail’ and all that.
However, giving up is a very useful skill to have.
Like Kenny Rogers said —
You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em
Know when to fold ‘em
Know when to walk away
And know when to run
Life is a gamble.
Frankly, no one knows what they are doing, they are all making it up as they go. And when you are willing to make up rules and systems, you need to also be willing to assess them from time to time and re-evaluate if what you are doing is working.
A system might look promising at one point and lose its appeal at a different point.
The best question you can ask is — is this how I want to live my life? If yes, keep going. But if the answer to that question becomes ‘No’ at any point, stop and reassess.
