Give Up, Then Change Your Mind

It’s January, which makes it the season of growing. We’re still running high on the hopes of crushing our New Year’s resolutions (I know I am). By mid-February, it might be a different story.

I’ve always been a little skeptical of New Year’s resolutions. If I didn’t have the discipline to do it in December, why would January be any different? I don’t feel any significant changes happening in my brain when the clock strikes 12.

This symbolic fresh start is entirely a construct. Is that a bad thing?

The end of 2023 was rough for me, so this year, I actually welcomed the idea of starting fresh. I was ready to leave the mess behind and look to the future.

As humans, we love the idea of starting over. We love being able to cross out all of our previous failures. If we’re stuck in an all-or-nothing mindset, a new year offers a reboot. 2024 just started, and we haven’t messed it up yet.

The problem is that when we inevitably mess up (because we’re human), we feel like it’s over. We give up. And if we’re giving up by mid-February (or even earlier), what does that mean for the rest of the year? Is it wasted? Do we have to wait until next January to try again?

The obvious answer is no, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy for us to believe.

This year, allow yourself to change your mind after giving up. You don’t have to wait until next year to try again. You don’t have to wait for that magical fresh start to come your way.

You can start again. Any month. Any week. Any day.