The Year Of No Bullshit

The concept of making resolutions at the start of the year is often proudly made fun of for being “arbitrary” and “unrealistic.” (Most probably by people who don’t manage to keep their resolutions, but let’s place that judgement aside for now.)

I love resolutions.

They are consciously-made ambitions. Not abstract, “I probably should”s. Personally, I think New Year is the best time for me to pin them down because that is when I’m likeliest to keep them. It’s easiest for me to measure my progress. I can quickly count the months and days I’ve kept to something see how long I’ve got to go. And it feels like more. It feels like more because New Year is a celebration for everyone, not just any day. It adds value and urgency to the things I want to achieve. If I just decide on a date arbitrarily, one that no-one else is going by, I’ll have less motivation because it will just feel like something I’ve made up – like it will not matter if I “give up.”

This is why I think it’s a good idea to make resolutions in January. And why not!? Just to be different? Just to rule out feelings of failure?

I believe that as individuals and as society, we should strive to be the very best we can be. Expand to our full potential. Now, to those who have heard those phrases multiple times, they may sound like empty rhetoric. But read them again. I mean, really absorb the meaning.

How can you not strive to reach your full potential? Can you really live knowing that you’re not trying to be the best you can be? I don’t mean that in a nerdy straight A’s kind of way. I don’t mean it in a money-making business way either. I mean it in an human way. As a person, don’t you want to be what you consider the ultimate version on yourself?

When I say “ultimate,” I’m talking about this you, the one with the experiences that you’ve had – but having tried your hardest. I think all of us should try our hardest to do whatever we want to do. We need ambitions, otherwise we won’t get anywhere.

I’m going to make 2016 my no-bullshit year. It’s the year I’ll turn 16, and I don’t want to grow up knowing that I wasted my time. No procrastination. I want every second to count. No putting anything I need to do off until later. It simply isn’t an option. The moment I think of something that is necessary, or something that would be bloody brilliant to do, I’m going to do it. There is absolutely no room in 2016 for time-wasting. I’m telling myself I don’t have a fucking choice but to get my act together. That is the only way I’m going to get better.

Small failures will come, but you and I can deal with those. We can learn from them and be reminded that there’s no room for letting ourselves down.

Today I get to put my first cross on my new calendar!

Here are my goals for this year:

I’m going to start drawing in my “One Sketch a Day” book that I’ve had for years but put off using – if I can find it.

I’m going to do Goodreads  challenges.

I’m going to work towards a short lemon detox diet by easing off unhealthy foods for a few days before mainly drinking lemon juice. I will explain more about that in a future post. Oh yes, and I’m also doing Veganuary! That means being vegan in January.

More guitar.

I’m going to continue writing my book – solidly.

I’m going to do more mixed-media journaling.

Most importantly, I’m going to do what I said earlier, which is to do things rather than just thinking about doing them.

I should probably also change my profile picture, because it is out of date and I have only just realised how awkward I look in it.

Yesterday evening I re-dyed my hair bright red. The colouring is permanent this time, so hopefully it will not fade away quickly. I didn’t do it on New Year’s Eve purposefully, but now that I have, I get to start the new year with a new hair colour. It’s rather symbolic. (No, I’m not a communist.)

I sincerely hope you have a fabulous year! Tell me what your goals are, and why they are your goals; I would love to hear all about them and get a feeling for all the different kinds of things that other people would like to achieve.

Or you can Tweet me your goals @Jamilajj with the hashtag #NoBullshitYear.

Do both.