WELL-meaning friends of mine have repeatedly told me that one of my New Year’s Resolutions should be to strive to have a more positive and thankful attitude. My common retort to them is that I’m positive I’ll fail this resolution before the first week of January.
Quick question, how many resolutions have you broken two weeks into 2020? I kid, I kid.
I’ve never been a firm believer in #newyearnewme simply because I’ve seen so many plans flame out due to a lack of consistency and foresight. Even those that have been meticulously mapped out usually don’t last until June because life has a way of throwing curveballs every now and then. I will, however, concede that those who were willing to roll with the punches—who turned their lemons into Happy Lemon milk tea—were those who ended up with a more fulfilling 2019. I look back at my own year and see that, despite experiencing the lowest of valleys in my earthly existence, I ended it as positively as I could.
I will concede that many of the things (good and bad) that happened were out of my immediate planning. This reinforces my mindset of “one day.” Because it’s the start of the year, it’s tempting to look over the horizon to see the mountains we can climb and the battles we have to face. But thinking about your journey one day at a time forces you to take stock of the now, to look down at your feet and see where you stand. Instead of looking for a grand victory, we focus on small ones we can get today. We are looking to accumulate “one day” pluses until we end up with a Titan-size snowball of win.
My takeaway from 2019 was the word inshallah, which translates to “God/Allah willing.” It means doing our best and leaving the rest for fate to decide. I’ve found that making all my resolutions adds too much stress to my already-panicky brain. I’ve resolved, then, to do the best I can every day and release what I can’t control to whatever Higher Power there is. Inshallah frees me from the pressure of being Superman; I will mess up whether I like it or not. I can then strive to become Batman, who always has a contingency plan, and try to adjust to whatever life brings this year.
Before this gets too serious, remember that life isn’t a sprint; it’s a marathon. Yes, hustle and bustle your way to a productive 2020, but don’t take yourself too seriously that you forget to invest in the intangibles: friends, family and probably 200 pounds of boba pearls. You might be poorer, but at least you won’t be Ebenezer Scrooge when Christmas rolls around.
Relax, breathe through your nose, and take 2020 one day at a time.