By Donny Winter
© 2013 Diversity Rules Magazine and Donny Winters. All Rights Reserved.
www.diversityrulesmagazine.com
Donny Winter is a gay rights activist on YouTube and recently graduated from Central Michigan University with a degree in English and Anthropology. He’s aiming to publish a manuscript of LGBTQ-themed poetry and write a memoir of his high school days where he was a victim of frequent bullying.
We spend so much time contemplating our New Year resolutions that usually end up failing within a month or two of the New Year. I’ve kept wondering why we always fail in our resolutions — is it just lack of time, a lapse in judgment, or do we choose to forget such things because they were never really achievable in the first place?
While I do feel that it is a combination of all three variables, I find the key difficulty resting in the word, ‘resolution.’ In a lot of ways it basically implies that an individual is compromising with themselves in order to bring about the desired result they and other people around them wish to see. It’s also evident that a lot of people become self-conscious and reclusive when they discover that their resolutions were disregarded over the course of time. Have you suffered from this problem? If so, here’s a solution:
Don’t call it a resolution. Compromising with yourself to make yourself happy is a bit farfetched. In order to find happiness why should one limit themselves? Instead of deleting that item or behavior from your life why not consider it a goal as opposed to a hindrance? Here’s a personal example. My resolution this year was going to be, “I’m going to stop procrastinating in my writing.” But in all reality when I think about it, procrastination is an intricate part of my writing process because that is the time in which I review and improve my work. So instead of compromising with myself I’m going to make it my goal: “I’m going to continue bettering my work through whatever means best improves it.” Now isn’t that much more positive as opposed to half-insulting myself by saying I procrastinate so much? It’s all about how positive one views these words.
When meeting the new year don’t reprimand yourself by creating resolutions. Reward yourself through renewal. Find a way to make your problems into something positive that allow you to grow and learn — those hindrances will eventually fade away. May 2013 bring happiness, success, and completion for everyone.