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By the time you read this, it is long past the new year’s resolutions and the hype fading away from us, even if we try to help it. It’s inevitable: all around the world, whenever December ends and January arrives, people set aside their bad habits, their fears, and they do their best to make new goals, plans, and resolutions. But why is it that we often fail to follow through on what we set out to do?
Logic tells us that resolutions have this sort of hype and once that fades, we fail. It makes sense. I have been victim to it, as I am sure you have. However, wouldn’t it be nice to beat it once and for all? Look at your laziness creeping up, out of the gutter, and say “hey, go away because I have some things I have to accomplish”? Yeah, it would be nice. And it’s much easier than you expect, actually. Let me explain.
Recently, I was listening to a podcast all about motivation, goals, and going against the grain, and against what most people are doing out in the world. One of the speakers spoke about opportunity, and he said something rather profound that I felt relevant to this topic: opportunity arrives whether we are ready or not. If you miss the train of opportunity, you must chase it.
In that regard, we often let our new years’ goals slip away from us. We let them just drift away, like a wilting leaf in a river slowly floating away, aimlessly and without a home any longer. Why do we do that? Honestly, why? It’s like getting halfway to your destination–any percentage of the way actually–and deciding that it isn’t worth finishing. There are far too many people in the world who rely on their motivation alone to accomplish their dreams, but in fact, it’s dedication that takes gold over your ambitions.
So if you’re reading this and this struck a cord with you, as you may have let a goal or dream of yours slip away too soon, it’s not too late. Sure you’ll have to chase after that missed opportunity, but you will catch up. You will go through all the same struggles, trials and tribulations, but the key is to remember what’s waiting at the end. Leprechauns didn’t think about all that stood in between their pot of gold at the end of their rainbow, but of the treasures that awaited them. And that’s what you must do too.
Don’t let your dreams disappear just because your motivation went dormant. Chase your dreams, because someday, you will have wish you did.
