Every year, I welcome the year with excitement. The new year ushers in a fresh start; it’s like hitting a RESET button. The reality though is that we get pumped up only for the first few months, then our habits continue to revert back to how we were the year before.

Why do we stumble and revert back to old habits?

I’m not sure about other people, but I guess for myself, these are the reasons:

#1 — It’s about ME being scared of a lot of things.

I’m scared of what other people will think of me. I’m scared that they might think that I’m not the same person anymore. I’m scared of being mediocre. I’m scared of failure. I’m scared of financial instability. I’m scared that my insecurities will haunt me again. ETC. ETC.

This year though, I think I’ve mustered up enough courage. It’s ironic that I got this courage from past fears that I have overcome.

And this year, I realized that. I realized that in order to overcome all the fears that I have, I need to face them with a new mindset — a belief that fear is not something that stops us, but something that makes us stronger. Hey, I’ve failed before, and I’m still here, right?

#2 — It’s probably because, I’ve been doing it for the longest time and find comfort in it.

I know that I’ve been telling a lot of people to say “no” to things that you don’t have time for, for things that are of lesser priority and to things that you don’t want to do. The reality though for a lot of people (and for ME) is that I find it hard to let go of things that I am used to doing or saying.

We often find comfort in the things that we’ve been doing for the longest time. I think for 2019, it’s the year to assess if you really need to do or say these things still (because you probably and REALLY love doing these things) or is it time to let go and break the habit?

#3 — It’s probably because I don’t have a time limit for myself.

At work and at home, I am a very patient person. But since I am but human, I will obviously lose my mind if something is not delivered on time or get frustrated when goals or aspirations are not met.

The thing about goals for yourself or setting New Year’s Resolutions is that most of us make plans that are not time-bound. Yes, I get that life is something that we need to enjoy, but what we want to avoid is that we trap ourselves in a cycle of “goal setting – implementation – frustration!”

We need to be a SUCCESS at some point, or at least feel successful. This will make us constantly strive to be better versions of ourselves.

So with this, we need to start being impatient with ourselves NOW! We need to give ourselves a timeline — a deadline.

So there. Well, I’ve started putting into action my “one word” for 2019, which is to Introspect. I think I’m well aware of the reasons why it’s difficult for me to drop some old habits, and to start anew.

Let’s see how this goes for me. I really hope I let go of my old, negative habits and feelings.

I hope I get over (some parts of) you, 2018. 😄