Photo courtesy of Flickr user asterix611
My college roommate Phil once told wrote, “nothing changes on New Years Day.”
On New Years Day people nurse hangovers and many reflect back on the year and look forward. Others take a more snarky and cynical stance. They say, “sure it’s a New Year but everything looks the same, essentially nothing is different in the world around us except for a page turn on the ol’ calendar.”
To that I agree, just because a ball dropped in Times Square and Dick Clark yelled, “Happy Dew Year,” doesn’t change anything around the world- but it can change a lot in the way we view the world, especially for those that haven’t had a great 2009.
New Years is a very arbitrary day, for others that follow different calendars it’s still the same year. My Vietnamese family won’t celebrate Tet for another month. However it’s a day we all need, because it’s a turning point, a milestone. For some it’s a milestone with nothing to note but it there all the less. For those that have had a tough 2009, a tough month, or maybe even a tough day; the idea of starting over with a clean slate is the something we all need, even if it’s only in our mind.
Things that are in motion want to stay in motion, it’s basic physics. If you feel that you are heading in a certain direction, New Years is the speed bump you might need to take a look at where you are going and change it if need be.
Why else do we make New Years resolutions? Because it’s a time of hope, a chance to envision where we want to go in life and make a statement to step in that direction.
So for those that want to say nothing changes on New Years Day I say perhaps, but it can if you want it to.
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Patrick, I think you hit the nail on the head that it is all about a new beginning. Even if you don’t have a specific date like New Year’s, there’s always some turning point in your life where you say: this is the time for something different. It’s like the day I decided to launch my site. I said to myself, “Today is a new day for me, I’m taking ownership of this and going in a new direction.” So be it blog-launch day, wedding day, birthday, or new year’s, it’s all about that new direction.
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Patrick
Twitter: dmbosstone
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January 6th, 2010 at 12:48 am
Very true- any day can be a turning point in your life, the same thing with Earth Day. But for some reason we tend to plant more trees on Earth Day (maybe Arbor Day) and thus more people tend to sign up for the gym on New Years Day.
Hope your New Year is off to the right start!
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