FRESH START: Understand how to implement change in the new year

By: FN Editorial

Time.

It seems that we either have none of it or too much of it. Time begins and times end just like the transitions made from one year to the next. We spend time or we save it, and somewhere between all the passing seconds, minutes, hours, days, months and years is our existence.

Since its inception we’ve made – as a society and as individuals – countless attempts to establish a firm grasp of time, but its elusiveness and fleeting nature trouble the mind on how to utilize this man-made construct in the best possible way. Thankfully in America, we more or less have the luxurious freedom to use our time to pursue that which makes us happy.

It’s true that time does indeed offer a window into our past and a telescope toward our future, but what about the here and now? Is it not true that the only “real” moments of our lives are the ones happening this very instance? Time is unique in that it creates a personalized history we can reflect on. If we’re talking about making some changes to our lives during this new year, self-reflection on this “history” time has created for us is crucial because it enables us to grow, learn and improve upon what once was.

Time is best spent doing what you love, what you desire and what you’re passionate about. But what if at this moment we don’t necessarily enjoy what we’re doing or what we have done? How can time be used to fill this void space in our hearts and minds? Simply put, time moves on and so should we.

Find unfamiliar activities to try. Travel to a new neighborhood and see what it has to offer. Eat new foods or try your hand at cooking for yourself or the roommates. Join a club that might be of interest to you, but one you know little about.

We’re just over three weeks into the new year and if we’ve carried with us the same mind-set as we had in 2013, change won’t happen.