Well, it’s a new year. 2019. My team and the other teams celebrated by going to the beach and watching fireworks go off at midnight. Before the fireworks, there was an open air concert in the local amphitheater where local artists from all over South Africa came to play. There were a lot of people out celebrating. It was fun but stressful, I’ll be honest. My introverted self was internally clawing to get away from the giant crowds, but all I could do was sit and endure it. If you could’ve seen me, you would’ve seen me sitting doing a Sudoku puzzle, trying to block out all of the noise.
When we got back to our ministry site at 1am, I was finally able to sit down and process the evening as well as 2018 as a whole. Because it was late, I couldn’t really remember everything that probably happened in 2018. I just remembered I had a lot of “lasts”. Last band concert, last drama production, last year with my class, and so on. I graduated high school. I turned 18. Instead of going to college, I started the World Race. Instead of picking out decorations for my dorm room, I was picking out a backpack to carry everything I needed for 9 months. Instead of orientation, I had Training Camp and Launch. I ended one season of my life and started another. In all of this, how much have I changed? Surely there’s a difference, but how am I different than those I graduated with?
In all honesty, I wonder about the purpose of resolutions. Many start off the new year with at least one thing they want to change for the year, and it’s great to have a goal in mind. But how often do we stick with them or at least make them attainable? I don’t want to discourage people from doing what they dream, but don’t do something stupid that would take more out of you than you’re willing to give. If you want it bad enough, you could probably make it. But, in the moment, what’s holding you back from doing it today? Why do you have to wait until the glorious first day of the year when you could start it today while you still have it? We aren’t promised tomorrow, so why do we wait? Truthfully, I think fear holds people back the most. For one, they’re making a change, which always involves some kind of give and take. Also, there’s the fear of failure. What if they don’t achieve this goal? What does this say about them as a person because they didn’t achieve their goal? How will people view them now? Several other questions flood people’s minds, but these are the the most prominent. With these questions, I simply ask this: What if you do succeed? What makes you any different than if you didn’t achieve the set goal? How does this change you as a person? Does this change you as a person? Those were more questions than I anticipated asking, but you get the idea. We make these goals because we want to be better than we are in the moment. There’s always room for improvement, but why do we wait until a new year starts for these changes to begin? What’s wrong with starting today? Dear readers, I encourage you: don’t let fear hold you back from what you want. Don’t let tomorrow stay tomorrow. You make the choice to become better. You decide when you want to make a change, and there’s no better time than the present.
I do have goals for this year, I won’t deny it. But, for today, my goal is just to enjoy the time I have with my friends.
Thanks for reading!
