2020 has come and gone; 2021 is here. I’m sure many of us are ecstatic to be in a new year. It’s somewhat of a fresh start, after all. Something like a second chance to do something that you’ve always wanted to do but never did, to be the better you that you’ve always envisioned in your dreams, and to remind you that life goes by so fast and you need to live more, make more happy memories and tell the people you love that you love them.
At the start of the new year, most of us make resolutions. We tell ourselves that this is the year that we’ll go vegan, start working out more at the gym, become more financially responsible, or even make more friends. The new year marks the pinnacle of our motivation before it starts to dwindle day by day, and slowly but surely we forget about the cute planners we bought with matching pens and stickers that had GOALS written on them. And before you know it, the year has passed and our “second” chance along with it.
Why do we do this?
We do this for many reasons. One reason being that we lose the motivation we had at the start of the year because we’ve given up without even trying. And, we give up without even trying because we don’t believe in ourselves. Therefore, it’s better to not try. That way, if we fail, there’s nothing to be disappointed by. You gave nothing, and so it’s okay to lose; you can just shrug it off as if the thought never existed. But, if you did give it everything and you failed, you’d be unimaginably disappointed in yourself; you’d taint the picturesque image you have of yourself.
Still, it’s okay to be scared of not having your hard work be rewarded. However, it isn’t okay to give up without even giving yourself a chance because of fear. In my freshman year of college, my professor for Criminal Procedure said this, “You can’t control what crazy thing the professor is going to put on the exam, but you can control your effort.” That stuck with me, and I created my own version of this:
“You can’t control whatever crazy thing life is going to put on your path, but you can control your effort. So, give it everything you got.”
This year, go out fighting. Try your best to achieve your goals. Even if you fail, I promise you’ll be satisfied knowing that you gave it your best shot. Those grades that always seemed so out of reach, this year is your year to earn them. That internship that’s so competitive, this is your year
to apply for it. Whatever dream that always seemed so far out of reach, 2021 is your year to reach for it.
Life is your canvas and you can do anything you want to do. Reach for the sky and you’ll land on the clouds.