Hello again! Thank you for returning for the final post for January! Five weekends in this dreadfully cold month is unfortunate; though I suppose 31 days is 31 days. Who else is ready for spring?
Before flipping those calendars too far ahead, how are those 2023 goals coming?
I know it is early, but I appreciate measuring goals and life in relatively small increments like months or even weeks, because it allows for evaluating progress while amidst the process, which can be super beneficial for a few reasons.
First, we now have some empirical results from which we can extrapolate into the future, which sounds more intimidating than it really is! For example, I have a goal to read 52 books this year, and as January comes to a close, I am right on pace with where I need to be, as I plan to be done with book four around the end of January and number five within a week afterwards. Additionally, I am confident I can keep this energy level up eleven more times. Alternatively, if my effort was unsustainable, I could adjust my end goal now, as opposed to giving up completely.
Secondly, a month is a good trial run on whether the passion remains for that end result. As you have read in recent weeks, I was putting measurable capacity into dating through reviving an online profile and willingness to commit time and energy on conversations. The important word in that sentence being “was.”
After not only experiencing a lack of interest in me by the men out there, the interest I did get was disingenuous, superficial, and what I suspect was too often coming from married men. Consequently, I will reallocate that commitment to more fulfilling endeavors, but at least I tried!
Finally, and what I will spend the rest of this post on is, one month is enough time to judge if we are making the most of the opportunities we have. New Year’s resolutions have become cliche because so many have already “failed”; however, if we take a moment now for self reflection, perhaps we can restart that drive we once had. Don’t deny you had a drive!
.As the year transpires, I contend the ability to get back on track will become increasingly demanding, since motivation will likely wane. In other words, it will be difficult to revisit that Identity we envisioned for ourselves back when we set our goals. Furthermore, the more comfortable we get ignoring the effort we wanted to expend, the more momentum we must overcome, eventually making it nearly impossible to get back on track.
Sir Isaac Newton called this inertia, which is essentially: an object in motion will stay in motion unless acted upon. Apologies in advance for the physics lesson!
What I fear will happen is that regret will eventually kick in, probably when we realize months or the entire year has passed, and nothing has changed. Worse yet, could this be another year atop a pile of numerous years, blocking the path to where we want to be?
One of the most prominent goals for my year is to finish my book and make 52 weekly blog posts, but the truth is, I have wanted to write for many years. While I believe my life now has seen twists and turns that make for a more compelling story, that lack of story was not what stopped me.
Rather, I didn’t even try, partly because it was more difficult than I expected, but also, I didn’t even want to work through the challenge. My inertia was strong towards everything other than writing for many reasons!
To some extent, I regret waiting so long! Granted, I am doing it now, for which I will pat myself on the back once I post this!
Nevertheless, had I started earlier, I would have already surpassed some of the growing pains of becoming a decent writer (where I am today), and be closer to where I want to be. Heck, I could be on a second book by now! My lack of ability was the fuel for the inertia that kept my laptop unattended while I was sitting around being unproductive.
On the bright side, I have been able to incorporate another of Newton’s laws, specifically applying an equal and opposite reaction to the extent I have strong inertia towards my goal. There is no special formula, other than finally taking advantage of the opportunity each day provides!
I conducted a little bit of research on regrets, which indicated missed opportunities tended to be among the greatest and most persistent regrets for people, because it was an unknown outcome over which the individual has agency. On the other hand, regrets over something that was done, such as a comment said or decision of A over B, tended to not persist as long. This made total sense to me, because missing an opportunity occurs every single day, rather than a one and done mistake.
A fear of mine is that this writing thing doesn’t work out for me; however, I am giving it my all, so I can rest assured at the end of the day, effort was not my problem….at this point. Even if I stagnate at this level, I found a worthwhile hobby I truly enjoy, making friends along the way; therefore, even at this moment, I can say I will not regret this.
I challenge everyone out there to evaluate what you want to accomplish, keeping in mind we have eleven months left in 2023, which is 92% of the year! Think about it! Hitting 92% of something is infinitely better than 0%!!
Break the inertia of complacency by starting small today! Who knows where this one step can take you!!
Please do not hesitate to comment or write to me! I want to hear the amazing story you will create!
Have a fantastic week everyone!!