Changing the Calendar by Jim Stovall
Each year as January 1st approaches, most of us engage in the time-tested ritual of getting a new calendar. I realize a lot of people use electronic devices and cell phone applications to document their upcoming activities and commitments, but nevertheless, there is that annual feeling of a fresh start and a new beginning. It puts me in mind of the first day of school with a clean notebook or a fresh tablet. The future seems pregnant with possibility.
Many people engage in the annual frustration of establishing New Year’s resolutions. These rarely work because most resolutions require us to change our performance or modify our behavior. Change doesn’t result from getting a new calendar or declaring a New Year’s resolution. Change happens when we face the discomfort of giving up our old patterns and established routines. Most goals and resolutions go unfulfilled because people simply never buy in to the proposition that true and lasting change is possible.
Your past does not equal your future. Virtually everything in your life today is based upon choices you’ve made in the past. Whether it’s your job, your career, your friends, your hobbies, your physical fitness, your attitude, your financial stability, or your faith, your life today is but a reflection of the choices you have made in the past.
We live in a society in which not many want to take responsibility for their current conditions, their performance, or the results they live with. Unfortunately, unless or until you and I accept the fact that we are where we are because of the choices we’ve made in the past, we cannot accept the promise and the possibility of tomorrow based on the choices we make today.
Either we control our lives or we don’t. If we control our lives, we can change course anytime we want, including New Year’s Day. If we believe we don’t control our destiny, we will live out our lives as victims with our only consolation being the excuses we develop and the ability to blame others. As you contemplate the New Year, please accept the premise on which everything depends—change is possible and in your control.
As you go through your day today, take responsibility for past choices and choose greatness for your future.
Today’s the day!
Jim Stovall is the president of Narrative Television Network as well as a published author of many books, including the Wisdom for Winners series. He is also a columnist and motivational speaker. Follow him on Twitter (@stovallauthor) or Facebook (@jimstovallauthor).