I don't believe in resolutions. Especially New Year Resolutions.
I make my goals and set a time frame to achieve them, whether it's 3, 6 months or even up to 12 months.
I check my milestones and record every small win I achieve.
Because when I do so, the burden I shoulder on seemed to dissipate into a more manageable target. Suddenly, the torturous climb seems attainable and ain't no mountain high enough.
Resolutions only happen once a year, where you set your mind to go cold turkey, in hope of achieving your objective as quickly as possible — expecting changes overnight.
A resolution doesn't rely on habits. But building habit is a long-term investment for your personal growth. It'll help you build resilience and in turn, help you reach your goals — eventually.
Why now?
One of my previous goals was to learn how to swim.
I've always wanted to learn one of this core survival skills. Coming from a low-income family, and being the eldest, my parents couldn't afford to send me to a swim school.
So I only picked up this crucial skill at the ripe age of 30.
Trigger Point
I used to cringe at deep ends and panicked underwater. Though I have always wished I could swim open water or in the sea with the others, especially when island hopping, I never had the courage of doing so, lest I might drown.
Why must?
By picking up this crucial skill, I have learned how to overcome my fear and enjoyed this sports very much.
I guess, at least for me, swimming has given me much confidence, especially when dealing with emergency situations (rip current, boat accidents, sports activities etc.) that involves water and the sea.
To me, it's always better for me to be better prepared than to be superstitious about natural causes. If sh*t's gonna happen, it will anyway. Better be all prepared.
What's next?
My next goal is, of course, to push myself further by either joining a duathlon or swimming competitively (at my own pace, I'm not trying to compete in Olympics). Each of my goals doesn't necessarily lead to one thing or another, but if it does that'll be nice.
By far, this would be one of my proudest moment. To be able to finally save my own @$$ and goodbye to those days where I'd fear of drowning.
I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. — Nelson Mandela
Image credit: All public domain images are taken from Pexels, unless stated otherwise.
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