On Bringing Balance into the New Year

Photo by Brigitte Tohm on Unsplash

Happy 2018! new year, new baggage.

Starting in the wee hours of January first, we place pressure on ourselves to achieve a myriad of goals: lose thirty pounds, quit smoking, learn to love kale, pick up a hobby, and more. The weight of our aspirational declarations stifles the promise of a fresh beginning. 

Granted, we create these New Year's resolutions with the best intentions in mind. The process of creating goals forces us to self-reflect, determine what brings us joy, and create a step-by-step guide to achieve objectives. However, 80% of us fail our New Year's resolutions by February. Even worse, less than 10% of resolution-makers actually complete their goal(s) within the year. By the time December 31st rolls around, almost all of us have given up. It is difficult to accomplish an objective in the first place, let alone one that requires long-term determination and awareness.

This January, you will stumble upon a ton of contradictory articles that advise you on how to stick to your resolutions: extensively plan, keep your plans simple, track your progress frequently, keep a laid-back and positive attitude, and purchase such-and-such products to keep you on track.

I am not going to add to this list of "recommendations." First, because I do not know the secret to being a successful New Year's resolution-er. And second, because I think this advice is silly.

The majority of the aforementioned articles and general "new-year-new-you" advice treats resolutions as random objectives rather than what they truly are: lifestyle changes. Implementing changes in your day-to-day is not as easy as creating a plan, having a good attitude, or buying the right product. Your lifestyle requires a continual balance.

By "balance," I mean a proportional distribution in your life between social activity, work, diet, exercise, personal time, and more. Each aspect of your life does not need to be equal in size (i.e., time spent exercising should not be equal to time spent working), but instead evenly distributed to create personal harmony.

This month, The Keen Kind will focus on “balance." Posts will abstractly and/or matter-of-factly touch on equilibrium: the importance of mental health care, how to utilize a planner, balancing your physical home, juggling work and social life, and more. It is my hope that a mix of advice, real stories, and resources will help you to achieve your New Year's goals and inspire you to create harmony within your own life.

Stay tuned to see what The Keen Kind has to offer you this January.

And here's to hoping we all reach a sense of peace in 2018.

Cheers, Grace.