Why starting a new life from a New Year is doomed to fail?

Oh, how many of us created such resolutions! Starting next Monday (or January 1^st, or my birthday, etc.) I will (start, stop, …)…

And… it all somehow disappears, dissolves, and fizzles out leaving us with a hint of guilt and usual regrets. And here is another New Year but there is no change. Why is it like this?

Let’s first consider the statement itself: it is very rigid and doesn’t allow any “wiggle room”. If you are going to start a new life from January 1^st, where will your old life go? And really, is your old life so bad that you are going to give it up?

But wait, that’s not all! You are living your life and by January 1^st you are at a certain point of your life that brought you to all the decisions and choices that you’ve made. If someone invented a time-machine, perhaps, you could go to a new point in your life in an instant, without any effort. But since time travel or teleportation is not possible, you will have to move a certain distance before you get there. It is not enough to just wake up with a resolution to “become a different person”.

Your resolution may set you in motion on this path. And the fewer restrictions you impose on yourself while waiting for a “perfect opportunity” to start your journey, the more likely you are to start moving forward.

Here is an interesting rule: start implementing your resolution within 72 hours after you’ve made it. Otherwise, you will lose interest, deflate, and have no energy or motivation left.

For many of us, a New Year is a psychological milestone – it is a time to evaluate your progress. Just this process itself is quite energy-consuming, let alone creating instant changes in your life. 

Starting a new life from a New Year is an illusion that you can become a different person in a blink of an eye.

To summarize, why starting a new life from a New Year is a bad idea?

• It makes your life heavy and creates a burden of expectations. And the more expectations you have the more likely you are to be disappointed.
  
• It is an illusion. The road to success goes through being disciplined and making the right choices. This is not very romantic, but it is true.
  
• Postponing something till “tomorrow” drains your motivation. And it’s a pity. ? It is a very important source of energy!
  

Simply start right now. Without long preparations or dreaming about the “right circumstances”. You don’t need a clean slate to start writing something different. Your handwriting (the essence of you) will not change because of it, right?

The first of the month, the next Monday, the 1^st of January – don’t guarantee that your beginning will be more effective. Any changes are based on a long-term strategy. It is a marathon, not a sprint.