From Start to Finish

To go big, you have to think small. Sounds contradicting right? Well with all the New Year Resolutions circling about that is exactly what the experts are advising. They say we need to set up short-term goals that you know you’ll accomplish, all the while not losing focus on the big picture. Hmm… seems easier said than done. But, it makes sense to take it step by step. I used to have that type of reasoning whenever I played tennis, focus on the next point, not the entire game. By playing each point individually I would play my best and eventually accomplish my goal. I wouldn’t get distracted, or concerned about how much longer I had to play in order to win, etc… The key is to stay focused on the big picture by breaking it into smaller pictures, which in the end will lead up to your very own movie.
It’s like when you have a jam-packed day at work, 100 things need to get done and before you even start you’re already stressed out of your mind. When this happens, you need to take a deep breath, and prioritize your tasks, make up a list and tackle them one by one. Before you know it you’ll have finished more than you thought.
This manner of rationalizing goals and accomplishments has been around for a long time now, taken for granted by civilians but greatly used by governments throughout time. Think about it, how do countries get taken over? The army doesn’t just rampage around the entire country taking down everything in site. They take over city by city, town by town until there’s no other choice than to surrender – the enemy is all around and there is no where else to turn to. Ok, that’s a little extreme.
A more relatable goal might be to run a marathon. That would be your long-term goal. How are you going to accomplish it? By setting smaller goals. I will run x amount of miles this week, I will change my diet, I will join a training group, etc… By accomplishing these short-term goals, you are most likely to run across that finish line.
Have you noticed that 99% of new years resolution are about improving oneself? Losing weight, quit smoking, be more conscientious about money… it’s like we’re making ourselves into failures before the year even starts, I don’t understand why.

365 days is a long time, and things might get side tracked, not a big deal. Why do we have to make ourselves start to improve right after New Years Eve. How many people said to themselves: this will be my last cigarette, this will be my last piece of cake, starting tomorrow I will practically be living at the gym, etc…And I will start my new lifestyle January 1st.

Improving oneself shouldn’t have a time frame, it should be continuous and you should start whenever you feel ready. Why can’t that be our long-term goal? To improve oneself on a daily basis. I bet that with that type of reasoning and practice, we could end up becoming better and better as the days pass. The point is to get to where it is no longer a burden you need to practice; it’ll become a part of you and how you grow as a person. New Years Resolutions are fine in the sense that it makes you want to put things in perspective, but instead of looking at the whole year to accomplish something, make it a daily routine. You might lose focus on the long-term goal, but at least it’ll already be an integrate part of you. Practice what you preach, and don’t complain if you refuse to act on your problem or you're friends will end up claiming their New Years Resolution was to drop fussy friends who whine all the time.