A Posteriori

The New Year is always a fitting mechanism with which to start fresh. It’s a time for reflection, but also a time to look forward. However, many make the mistake of using the new year as an excuse to forget who they really are, frailties and all, and pretend to be someone they could never be.

Fitness clubs make a fortune out of suckers deluding themselves into thinking they will magically go from an overweight slob to the paragon of fitness. Smokers believe that they can go cold turkey. These people miss the whole point of self improvement.

Self improvement is about evolution, not about forced dramatic metamorphosis. One can’t go anywhere without understanding and remaining mindful of where one has been. Evolution is a slow and gradual process, and good habits can only be established over time with a great deal of patience. Old unhealthy habits must be shed, and new ones formed meticulously, but progressively.

Each evolutionary step must be taken after a great deal of self-analysis, and much thought. The motivation that is built for this step must be pure, and cannot be born out of fear, insecurity, or a desire to overcompensation for a perceived shortfall. The person making the change must visualize the change beforehand, anticipating any pitfalls or any other demotivating factors, and compensating for such hurdles.

For instance, losing weight and becoming healthy is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. Such an end state requires gradual, incremental changes to diet, lifestyle, routines and one’s outlook on life. It’s not enough to simply go on a diet and join an exercise club. It requires a routine of visiting the gym to be integrated into that person’s lifestyle, and for a person’s eating habits to be forever changed.

We all follow a path. Finding that path, and staying true to it should be the goal of every enlightened person, as well as any person striving for enlightenment.

With the coming of 2006, consider carefully the next step in your personal evolution. Happy New Year!