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The New Year has come knocking. Like everyone else, you have high expectations. It’s human nature to be fascinated by newness. Besides, the previous year wasn’t so favourable, so it’s bye Felicia. You are glad it’s gone – out of your life and out of the face of the earth.
New Years are like the beginning of a new chapter in a book. Emotions from the previous chapter are subdued as you create a new slate to enjoy the incoming one. By the events surrounding you, the New Year doesn’t look so promising. But as advised by well-meaning family members and friends, you are optimistic “It’ll turn out well,” you tap into the power of positive confessions.
Like an athlete in a marathon, the calendar starts out slowly, warming up to the long distance ahead. You aren’t having any of it. For you to enjoy the good things the New Year has in stock for you, it has to move quickly. Why waste time when there’s a big fish to catch?
You wake up one morning, and it seems the train had moved without you and your plans to take over the world. You take solace in the knowledge that it’s just the second quarter of the year; there’s still time left. With extra hard work, you could make up for the lost time, and still finish up great. No one would even notice you slipped off for a moment. You notice the zeal is no longer as strong as it was in the beginning; you have become less motivated. You shake it off, and try to keep your eyes on the prize. You aren’t one to build castles in the air, so you put in the work.
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Somehow, you find yourself in the last quarter of the year. Still in shock of how time moved so fast, you try to count your achievements, but there isn’t much to count. With the zeal you started the year, you were sure of ticking most of the boxes on your to-do list, if not all. Maybe not in grand style, but at least, in a way worthy of celebration. Stuck with an almost ending calendar, you have nothing to show for it. Even if you chose to celebrate, chances are that not many people would show up; you have nothing worthy of celebrating.
Something must have gone wrong at some point – that’s for a fact. But what exactly was it? At what point did you lose your shot at greatness this year? These questions and more race on your mind as you try to figure things out. It must have been the fault of your country. You see, nothing works in this country. Despite having it all figured it, the socio-economic environment didn’t let you thrive. With the downfall of the currency and recession, you didn’t stand a chance at all. But you remember that some of your peers in the same country didn’t do so badly. It must have been your family. They didn’t give you the support you needed. And your friends? Those ones are a waste of space. You could have done better with a different set of friends. Everyone but you is to blame.
Depression begins to set in. You feel like a failure. Maybe you actually did fail, but does that make you a failure? Now isn’t the time for blame games and pity parties. It’s time to take responsibility for your actions, dust yourself up and move on.
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We often get overly excited about starting great things in the New Year. We get lost in that mental state of mind that we forget to actually get things done. For starters, there isn’t a specific time of the year to aspire for greatness. Every day is an opportunity to do something new. The curtains of the year might be drawing close, but who says you can’t start a new plan now? Don’t wait until first of January to get to work. Think of it this way: If you laid the foundation now, by January, you’d have something tangible on ground.
Set reasonable goals. It’s okay to dream big, but when these dreams aren’t feasible within a stipulated time frame, you are only setting yourself up for disappointment. You can have big dreams with short term goals. Outline the things that are possible to achieve in the nearest future, and work towards making them happen. As you tick the small boxes along the way, you’ll be motivated to keep going for the bigger ones.
While you are on your journey to greatness, it’s important that you acknowledge the seemingly small things that you have accomplished. Sometimes, we ruin our chances of doing exploits by undermining our efforts. Always remember to give yourself a path on the back, take a chilled glass of water and relax. Life isn’t a competition; we all have different journeys. Do your best, and be consistent at it. In time, the lines will fall in pleasant places for you.