[:en]New Year’s Resolutions[:]

[:en]For many people, New Year’s resolutions are a good a way to start off a new year, but I have never made any New Year’s resolutions in my entire life. Some people ask me why, and I usually answer that I live my life one day at a time, because we never know what will happen tomorrow. Also, I’m writing this in September. So, if I set my goals only at the beginning of the new year, that means I will be wasting the months of September, October, November, and December. Every day is a new day and we can start doing things and chasing our goals at the beginning of every new day. I believe this is the key to success. I always set goals every day because waiting for the new year is just too boring for me. It’s like waiting for Idul Fitri to ask for peace with God. It doesn’t make any sense. If you can do it now, why wait until the new year to start?

Secondly, sometimes we think that we’re not good enough when we chase our goals. We can feel sad or depressed if we don’t achieve them. One thing that we need to remember is whenever we’re down or we think we will fail, find another reason to win. Everything is mind over matter. We need to prove to our bodies that through our minds we can push ourselves further than we realise.

I believe it pays to be a winner. Many people think it’s okay to finish 2nd in a race or a competition. In my opinion, if you think that finishing second is good enough, that means you’re telling yourself to quit just like others wait to make changes at the start of a new year. In my view, second place means you’re the first loser. You didn’t win anything. I would never ever accept second place as an achievement. A US Navy Seal once said, “You earn your trident everyday”. The trident is a badge that symbolises walking into hell and getting out of it. I see the trident as a sign of respect. We earn respect every day like everything else. So, we don’t need to wait until the start of a new year just to get something done. Why wait when we can try now and keep trying every day?

By Bryan James Gray

Grade 11, Level A[:]