If you are like most people, you made a New Year’s Resolution…
If my calculations are correct, exactly 18 days ago (bear in mind that this was written on January 18th, 2019) you made a solemn promise to yourselves to do something new; to do something different; to quit a negative habit; or perhaps simply to respect the life in which you live. In turn, if you are like 97 percent of Americans, that New Year’s Resolution was abandoned by the time I put this felt pen delicately on white paper.
But That’s Not A Bad Thing
You see, a New Year’s Resolution does not have to occur only on New Year’s. I honestly believe with all of my heart that though we tend to forget to uphold our promises, we still have another 347 days to make things right. There is a theory that states that if you publicly announce your plans, more often than not you will actually never go ahead and actually do it. This is psychology at its finest. It seems almost as if the idea of saying we will do something is never fulfilled because sociologically-speaking, the human being has a tendency to make plans that are never fully adhered to.
In turn, realize that you still have 347 days until January 1st, 2020 to continue making valuable resolutions to yourself. Keyword: yourself. You see, the human experience depends on commitment, and that commitment can only be obtained if we wake up every morning and review the things we plan on doing with our lives. What will better us as people? What habits are we trying to quit? They say that thinking too long-term is a bad thing because it causes you to forget to focus on the present. I wholeheartedly disagree.
Long-Term Goals
Personally, I have my next ten years mapped out, and every morning I wake up and I do myself a favor: I review a list of those things I plan on doing. This allows me to break down my goals in the short-term, basing it on the long-term plans I have for myself. Without this kind of mindset, many find themselves lost in the present.
Though the present moment is meant to be enjoyed, everybody should have a 10-year plan. Even just a few life goals or ambitions we set for ourselves are monumental to our success. So, do yourself a favor: write down three things that you want to accomplish over the next ten years. Then, below it, write down three things for each goal that you could accomplish today. Not tomorrow, not “later when I’m not as busy,” and not in a scheduled or orchestrated manner.
I mean right now.
Daily reinforcement of our goals and ambitions is essential to our success. People have a predisposition to look at life in small fragments, and I love to compare it to a film. As an editor and filmmaker (among a good thousand other things), I have found that life is really just one long movie. However, that movie consists of millions upon millions of frames. The term: “FPS” (frames per second) is, on average, 60 frames per second. So, think about that next time you decide to “live in the moment.” Though I am not against the idea of cherishing valuable moments in life, think of it like this:
Every second, you need to incorporate 60 frames of your existence.
In The End
I can only give you my input, but it is your job to figure out the rest. Are you going to be “that person” who shimmies through life chaotically, looking through the looking glass but forgetting to zoom out? The larger picture is what matters, and though this does not mean you should ignore (or not enjoy) the present moment – as more often than not, those are the moments you need to cherish and respect – it does mean that you need to be willing to accept the fact that just as a film has 60 frames in a given second, your life is no different. You need to be able to take a beat for as little as 5-10 minutes every couple of hours, and think about your 10-year plan.
Contact me if you want some help mapping out your long-term goals.
“They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”
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