A Penny for Your Thoughts: Forget New Year, New You
Oh no, Mischa, what the hell are you thinking now? It IS a New Year! That means there should be a new YOU, right? Nope.
Every time we enter a new year, all the same gimmicks come out in droves. Head to the gym! Lose that holiday weight! Make a resolution to do all the things! DRY JANUARY! Meatless January! FULL BODY DETOX! Be a WHOLE NEW YOU!
Today is the 5th of January, 2019. How’s the new you doing so far? For me, I’m doing okay. Yesterday, I almost hurt people – which is the normal me. Yeah… in the last hour of my day job some things went a little wonky. Luckily, everything got sorted out and I won’t be hurting anyone or myself (from overworking my hands) any time soon. Everything leveled up again, in a good way, when I received news of a raise.
I’m continuing my Japanese education at JapanesePod101 and even took advantage of their current special to save money on my first year. I’m doing better with exercising and I loaded the dishwasher this morning while I waited for coffee.
Yes, I set goals, but I’m still me. I’m just improving upon who I already am.
Ever walk into the store for a specific product that you love, that is essential to your well-being, and see that “new and improved” sticker on it? Is your reaction the same as mine? You can’t be both NEW and IMPROVED. It just doesn’t work that way.
I scowl at those stickers. They irk the fuck outta me. You have to look at the ingredients or the construction, depending on the type of item, to figure out if it’s still up to your standards. And then you need to make a choice. Do you take a chance and buy the item or do you decide to research on the internet (depending on the cost) to find out what changed and what others think?
Life is a series of choices. I won’t get into good or bad choices. I’m one of those people who prefers to have on jeans, nice top, makeup done, hair straightened (if I didn’t braid it the night before), etc. before I leave the house.
I’ve only ever done the ‘family pajama breakfast in public’ once. I hate wearing yoga pants in public. You’ll never see me in leggings. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not bashing or judging people that go in public wearing yoga pants, leggings, or pajamas. They’re comfortable and happy. I applaud that. Because I am me and you are you. I’m comfortable in my jeans. When I’m home? Pajama or yoga pants and a t-shirt.
In other words, if you’re comfortable running errands wearing a tutu and a tiara, the more power to you. Embrace who you are. Own it.
The other issue I have with ‘new year, new you’… well, what’s wrong with the current you? I mean, if you’re an asshole, then perhaps you do need to make some changes in order to become a better human being. But if you’re a kind individual and you don’t kick puppies into the sun or anything, then instead of trying to become a whole new you, just take a look at yourself. Are you able to take pride in who you are and how you treat others?
If you feel that you’re lacking in something, why do you think that? I know that I’m good at procrastinating. VERY good at procrastinating. I get sucked into a Netflix or Hulu binge like matter being sucked into a black hole. It’s timeless. It’s endless. I have to pull myself out of it. And then… when it’s all over and I’ve reached the end of the new season, what do I have to show for it?
Nothing.
One of the things I did today is I took myself out to lunch. The main reason is because my fridge is mostly empty. I didn’t know what I wanted to eat and I knew it wasn’t scrambled eggs. I’m currently sitting in front of a lovely (fake) fireplace as I write*. It’s a little chilly in the restaurant for me, but it’s pleasant enough. It’s not crowded today. The other reason I took myself out of the house is because I knew that if I didn’t get up and do something, I’d probably turn on Netflix.
I do have a list of items to tick off my list. I need to read a story and make my final changes to my story, and I want to work on the items I’ve been chatting about to Jayne off and on. There’s also a pet project with Dr. J. I want to work on as well. However, I can’t do many of these items where I’m at and that’s okay. I know that just getting out of the house will help me feel ready to pounce on my list when I return home, even if it’s just for an hour or so. Most likely, I won’t get to all of these things either. I will do what I can and let the rest wait until tomorrow.
Even though I’m an introvert, sometimes leaving the house is a good thing. I push myself to do this because I don’t want to become a hermit. Besides, it hasn’t really snowed. This is the mildest (wet/humid/chilly) winter we’ve had in quite a few years.
The music isn’t really to my liking, but hey, I’m very picky about my music (and food… and so many other things).
It’s okay to be picky. You know who you are and I know who I am. If you’re picky to the point that you are making other people miserable, then you may want to work on that. What’s the underlying issue? Are there things you can do to help not make others miserable with your picky needs? If you’re difficult to be around then people won’t want to be around you.
What’s the one goal you absolutely want to complete this year? Pick that and work on it every single day. Whether it’s writing 50 words a day or learning a new language or working out a minimum of 30 minutes a day. Hey wait a second… those sound like resolutions! Well, they do, but guess what? You don’t have to treat them like that. Calling them resolutions can put a lot of pressure on yourself. Others will point and snicker ’haha, you didn’t get X done today, you are the loser of the world’. (Unless they’re supportive of you, then they might be kind and ask ‘what can I do to help you reach that goal?’)
Five days into the new year and I’ve exercised most of those days. I’ve worked on Japanese through the JP101 website and Duolingo every day. I finished the requested edits to my story and added some questions then sent it back to Oleander, wrote this blog post throughout the day, read the story I needed to and offered feedback. Right now I’m eating dinner and finishing up this post. I feel good about getting these things done today.
*-Obviously, I didn’t post this where I was having lunch because my site is classified as adult and therefore I cannot access it on most public wifi. AND for whatever reason the bastards block my mobile hotspot.
I so agree that life is a series of choices and if you want to make a few new choices in the new year then that’s great but not to create a whole new YOU – some sayings have no meaning to them at all, and that’s one of them. Happy new year lovely lady x
Thanks, May! I appreciate your thoughts. Yeah, I hear all these gimmicks every single year and they are just that – gimmicks to get you to spend your hard earned money on something that are pointless and usually turn out to be unfulfilling. Happy New Year. XoXo