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This is Optimal Living Daily. Stop making resolutions and just start by Jay Harrington of

Lifeandwim.com. And I justa mollick you're a personal narrator

reading to you every day including holidays that's from some of the best blogs i can find

covering personal development and minimalism mostly with permission from the authors and with that

let's get right to it as we optimize your life.

Stop making resolutions and just start by jay Harrington of life and whim.com.

I've long abandoned the idea of setting and sticking with new year resolutions.

For me, it's a futile exercise that inevitably results in failure and regret. I'm not a particularly disciplined person, so unless I really want to do

something, it won't happen. If I do want something, I just do it. I don't wait until the new year

to start. If I do wait, it's a sign that I just don't care that

much. While I don't have much interest in resolutions, I do try to take time at year's end

for reflection. This involves analyzing what worked and didn't in the prior year, and thinking about

how to apply lessons learned to future endeavors. The biggest thing I've learned over the last

couple of years is that almost everything good and uplifting and positive that has happened in my

life has typically been accompanied by some feelings of emotional angst, pain, and uncertainty.

It's the paradox of success. Achievement requires discomfort, but we're conditioned to avoid

discomfort. In other words, we seek to shield ourselves from the very feelings that are associated

with personal growth. The truth is, most of us understand that we have to grind for what we

want, but rarely are willing to pay the price. This is what makes resolutions

so intoxicating. They allow us to conjure in our minds what a new year, new you might look like.

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