So since it’s the beginning of a
new year, it feels only natural to do that obligatory mention of New Years
Resolutions. You know hopes for the coming year, which are spawned from your
reflection of the previous year. Those lofty claims that for the most part
people don’t ever keep (pardon my cynical and generalized opinion). Yes, you
have great intentions and really want to do something to change your life,
typically for the better. Whether it is making you a nicer, healthier person,
or whatever is important to you; on January 1st. But the truth of
the matter is that the dedication to this starts to fade as quickly as the
winter turns to fall, and the gyms full of people hopeful to get into shape are
left with only the people that were there last December. And what’s the reason
for this? I guess maybe you could say life just gets in the way? But that seems
like another generic excuse to me.
Well I haven’t made any new years
resolutions, because it seems one of my biggest problems is sticking to said
resolutions. So maybe I’ll just be vague about it and say that I hope to be
better at maintaining commitments (primarily those with myself) this year? But
first I think it is important to acknowledge this flaw about myself. Because,
you know, I could probably go on and on coming up with excuses as to why I
haven’t kept certain commitments. Such as maintaining a blog, working out more
(or in general) and altogether being a much more warm and friendly person. Well the first two I could say “oh, I’m
too busy”, but the fact is I could definitely chalk those up to pure laziness.
And well the last one, that’s just an ongoing work in progress. But the point
of all of this is that I am not going to make excuses for not doing the things
I have told myself I want to do. The fact is, if you want to do something you
just have to go for it.
I’ve realized (and this doesn’t
mean that I’ve fully put this knowledge into practice) that it is very
important to admit to your mistakes and ultimately take accountability for your
actions. For the most part we all know when we have made a mistake. Whether you
know right away, or find out months down the road. You eventually find out and
what is most important is how you react to this knowledge. It can show a
surprising amount about someone as to whether they take credit. Even the most
successful people make mistakes, and you can’t just claim credit for your
successes. Personally, I’ve become more aware of this fact in the past month
here in Beijing. Basically, I’ve been feeling like I want to go home for a
little while and I’ve finally gotten to the point to admit that to myself. And
while I’m not saying I think being in Beijing is a mistake at all, I’ve
absolutely loved my time here and all, but I know this chapter is coming to an
end. And I think it is just as important to admit when you need to make a
change in your life or move on, as it is to admit to mistakes. It’s all an
accountability thing, and I don’t want to be that person that uses other people
or factors as excuses to the way they live their life.
So now, it’s very plausible that I
lost you, as I have a way of doing with my normal train of thought. But to me
it all comes together in that if you’re going to make one New Years Resolution,
I’d recommend for it to be to actually stick to that resolution. And I know
that’s like a double resolution, but it’s all about taking accountability. In
other news, I would like to point out that I do not think I am an authority on
anything. Merely these are my general thoughts and ramblings, and definitely take
them with a grain of salt. Deuces.
