Around this time of year, a few of us are thinking about what we might pledge to do differently in the new year.
“Starting next year, I will…”
- go to the gym regularly
- eat healthy
- drop kilos
- lower body fat
- get super fit
- study more programming languages
- build some apps in said programming languages
- throw them online with an open source license (The license matters, people.)
- publish regularly on groningenrain.nl
- get more organized
- develop my influencer status to become a top thought leader in my industry
- stop using so many fucking buzzwords
- figure out the rush hour plans
- read mary’s book (OMG IT’S NOW AVAILABLE IN KINDLE EDITION!! !)
- figure out my #DevRel career path
- nail down routines
- collaborate with more people external to red hat
Strangely specific list is strangely specific.
Except, I don’t really roll with that lifestyle.
Why would you wait until this arbitrary time of the year to make major changes in one’s life?
I mean, I get it.
When there’s a change in SOMETHING, it helps to make a change in SOMETHING ELSE.
For example, the New Calendar Year means Brand New Me! And sometimes that’s true. I mean, for other people – definitely not me. I know exactly one person for whom the new year sticks all year long and that’s my friend, S, who dedicates the year to a general focus.
Brilliant.
But for me and others like me for whom the new year is a great nudge, but not a great catalyst, I invite you to adopt your changes NOW.
Because it’s a new day.
Today.
Because it’s a Tuesday. Because it’s a Wednesday. Because it’s the morning. Because it’s the afternoon. Because it’s raining outside and the sun is shining. Because you’re drinking your first cup of coffee before you go to bed.
Because I said so.
Because of whatever reason, write down that list of things to do that you want to change and break it down into manageable steps and START DOING IT RIGHT THE FUCK NOW.
Cause #whynot
And here’s a little hint about that list above. I wrote that list back when I was doing all that travel except the phrase was, “when I’m finished travelling, I will…” and then it smacked me in the face – why am I waiting until then?
WHY.
Cause I was procrastinating.
Every single conference was a new opportunity to embrace a new habit. When I arrive at a new hotel, I can start leaving my shoes just so and working out just then and in the morning doing just this.
And then I realized, no, it’s not just every conference, it’s Every. Single. Day.
HOLY SHIT!
And so I’ve already started to:
- go to the gym regularly
- lower body fat
- get super fit
- publish regularly on groningenrain.nl
- get more organized
- figure out the rush hour plans
- read mary’s book (OMG IT’S NOW AVAILABLE IN KINDLE EDITION!! !)
- nail down routines
- collaborate with more people external to red hat
Cause I WANTED TO.
And, sure, there were days when the routine morphed or was entirely skipped because of extenuating circumstances, but I didn’t just throw it all out the window cause I fucked it up, I tried again the next day because IT WAS A NEW DAY.
That’s how this works. That’s how all this works.
You don’t have to wait until the New Year. You can start Right Here, Right Now. Stop procrastinating. Stop putting so much pressure on the New Year to do All The Things and start doing All The Things Right Now.
And if you make a mess and fail and fall flat on your face?
That’s awesome!
Cause you get to try again. And again. And again.
And again.