Sam vs. Sam 2.0

Are you ready? Did you make your resolutions, put up your ‘new year, new me’ post that everyone loves to hate, and, of course, make a few of those awful ‘see you next year’ jokes? For some of you, the new year has already started, but where I’m at I’ve still got a few hours.

Personally, I’ve never made a huge deal about the new year. What’s the point in making promises to yourself that you’ll almost inevitably break? Why spend a day to look back on your past when you could be charging forward into your future?

But, at the same time, I can’t help but be caught up in the need for change. I crave the hopefulness that comes with the idea of creating a new and improved version of myself, Sam 2.0.

With all the hype, I feel like I can do anything. I could finish that book I’ve been struggling to write, each day fewer and fewer words appearing on the page. I could actually clean my room, instead of just shoving everything into the corners. I could get serious about my running again, stop putting it off until spring. This Sam 2.0 would be awesome.

When the excitement of the new year dies down, so does my drive. That’s the problem we all face. Without the force to drive us forward, the You 2.0 falls apart and fades back into the old routine.

So, how do we fix it? Believe me, if I knew the answer to that, I wouldn’t be the severe procrastinator that I am or have a life so disorganized and chaotic that I can hardly know what’s going on. But, maybe we’ve all been focusing on the wrong idea. Maybe its less about creating that You 2.0 and more about finding the real, original You.

Nobody’s perfect, and setting unattainable goals isn’t going to bring us any closer to it. Instead of trying to remake yourself, and do nothing about everything, we need to accept who we are and do everything about that one thing.

Before you can be a better you, you need to know who you are. For this new year, don’t worry about those resolutions and goals. Throw that paper into the fire, delete that post. Destroy it. This year, find yourself. When you do that, everything else will fall into place.

Happy New Year

-Sam