New

It has been two months since the start of 2020. There are a variety of outcomes depending on your consistency or lack thereof in regards to your resolutions. No matter the goal, the one thing that everyone has in common is the longing for something new. New experiences and outcomes are inevitable, but you taking action to change yourself is fantastic. Good and bad things are going to happen no matter what, it’s how we handle challenges that makes the difference.

Before making a resolution, it is best to see what you are working with and what you have been doing all along. When you are analyzing things you can improve, there might be a realization that you don’t have to start from scratch, you may just have to do things a new way. Make a commitment to yourself to do things in a way that brings peace, joy, and happiness to your life. Get rid of what brings stress to you mentally, emotionally and financially.

Doing something new can be fun, but it can be difficult and scary to adjust to. As humans, we tend to like the feeling of a routine. We get comfortable with what we know. People stick to bad habits, because they are used to it. They keep living that way because that is the way it has been done for so long. The idea of new sounds wonderful, but work has to be done. With everything in life, effort and consistency is required for a new outcome. 

There are three things you can do before committing to a transformation. The first thing is applying a new perspective. A new perspective will drastically have an effect on your life. Others can interpret something in many ways, what matters most is how you view it. You may discover that your perspective has been all wrong. I’m sure people have experienced the feeling that there’s no coming back from a series of negative experiences in their lives. In the moment, it may have seemed that way, but when time passed, often we have a realization that had to happen for something better to come along.  

The second thing to apply is a new attitude. Having a positive attitude takes more effort and practice if it is something that is not a natural personality trait. For most, thinking and feeling positive while in the midst of a negative reality seems so unnatural. It takes time and faith to understand that our attitudes, how we feel, what we say, and what we do affects everything. A changed attitude will not only refresh your life, it will also impact your environment. A positive, new attitude brings fresh energy and the opportunity for a better tomorrow.  

The third thing is to apply a new approach. Instead of thinking how you once approached something and how it did not work for you, you can just approach it differently. The foundation may be good enough but just needs some slight tweaking. In retrospect, take into consideration how you did things before, compared to how you do them now. You can observe what works and what needs to change.

It takes a lot of work to apply something new in your life, even if it’s a small change. Staying in the same routine can hinder you from new experiences, and new life lessons. Accepting new, applying new, and creating new for yourself is not only a New Year’s Resolution, it is a part of what life is about. 

Baleigh Johnson has a degree in Journalism Mass Communication from North Carolina Central University. She has experience in editing, writing, and coming up with creative ideas for stories and projects.