What is common among gym membership, liquor, and diaries?
There is one thing common among gym membership, liquor, and diaries – their sales goes up every year as the new year approaches.
We express our zeals, ambitions, and energy to plan the new year. And once the hangover is over, we find the very first new day of the new year not much different from yesterday.
Alas, consistency is more important than planning. All you need to build a new habit is consistency and focus. The planning and preparation stand-alone cannot drive the change. Every routine action we take becomes a part of our behavior. And behavioral changes are achievable through deliberate practice, self-awareness, and introspection.
As you become wiser, you will realize that the change is merely an accumulation of actions you take daily and make them consistent for your following days. It is unrealistic to expect a behavioral change overnight or with a single flip of the calendar page. The change comes in iteration, and it is analog. You have to be consistent when driving change and resist the inertia that will try to keep you in the state of status quo.
The only thing you must be considerate of yourself and others is to keep the cup full of love.
You don’t have to wait for the sound of a treadmill, the uncorking of the bottle, or scribing in the diary. All you have to do is hear yourself. Listen to that person and start making changes from today; it is irrelevant to wait for the new year to begin self-development. You are not a corporate entity obliged to submit the SEC filing at the end of the year. You are the only person who can manage yourself. Take ownership, bring the change, and adopt any activity, habit, or skill you can practice daily. And that habit would become part of your behavior. Don’t wait for New Year’s Eve; every day, spend some time in the self-reflection and see your progress. It is like auditing and evaluating your thoughts and actions before going to bed.
At last, remember that the first day of the new year is not much different from yesterday, and it looks like these two coffee cups -one is empty, and the other is full. The only thing you must be considerate of yourself and others is to keep the cup full of love.
Asif Durrani
01 Jan 2024
https://www.linkedin.com/in/asifdurrani
Alos published at Medium
Asif Durrani 