The year 2016 has ever so gracefully come to a close, and all the promises of 2017 have just been unlocked.  There is something indescribable about the New Year: a lingering optimism that pervades our minds.  We set New Year’s Resolutions, confide in others our goals for the future to come, and vow to change that one thing about ourselves that bothers us.

While I admire the hopefulness that arises from the changing of time, the reflections about the past 365 days leave me with a bitter taste in my mouth.  Each year, January 1st comes around, and I am found dissatisfied with my measly ‘accomplishments’ from the prior year.  The absence of successes become ever so apparent on the first day of the new year, digging deep to find out what I need to change with this fresh start. I find that I am not alone in this dark outlook on the past, as society has made it commonplace for there always to be a desire to move forward.  It always has to be bigger and better; complacency is intolerable in the 21st century.  The resolutions manifest in a multitude of ways and often are so outlandish that they are discarded within a mere week.

Admittedly, I respect the desire to progress.  I have big aspirations, and I work to reach those goals.  After all, how would we ever move forward with our lives without changing and becoming something greater? However, self-satisfaction tops my list of important intrinsic motivators.  I find it difficult to fuel myself when I am not even content with my current situation.  How am I supposed to become who I want to be if I’m not content with where I am now?  It becomes a cyclical process of doubt and hesitation that prevents me from progression. Rather than continuing the indecisive cycle, I choose to change my perspective.  Looking at the prior year with optimism, opposed to self-deprecating jokes, enables me to progress with hope for what is to come.  Maybe you did not accomplish all that you wished.  Use it as motivation to continue.

Setting goals can be a daunting task.  Perhaps you have already been on your quest for this aspiration for some time; it can become discouraging rather quickly with the expectation of immediate, tangible rewards.

To aid in the New Years Resolutions and past reflections, I find that looking back on the past as well as the future with a hopefulness is of utmost importance.  When you can view your history favorably, the future and all its opportunities become increasingly reachable.