Moody Musings: Sustaining productive energy

We have made it to a brand new year and a brand new semester. Regardless of how consistent people are with claiming the new year to be their year or the year that completely transforms them, their proclamation could, in fact, be true.

This could be the year for you too. Whether this is the year that you graduate and start the career you’ve been dreaming of, the year you study abroad or even the year that you decide to let go of a bad habit.

Whether we know for sure this year is ours or not, there’s something about the change in month and numbers in the year that causes us to feel like we can do it. This feeling doesn’t necessarily have to go away either.

When I set my goals for the new year, I made sure that they were things I would think about every day. I made sure I was clear when stating what I wanted to change about myself and what I wanted to have happen in my life this year.

Make sure your goal has a direct end result: land the internship, receive a 4.0, get accepted into this graduate program, become an officer for this organization, etc.

These direct goals should also correlate to something you think about or have the power to influence often. Therefore, even if you’re not always looking at your resolution list, you can always remember in class that this is the grade you want. When you think about summer, you’ll keep in mind that you’re striving for this particular internship. Your level of productivity should rise just from the thought of it.

Did you see the posts from the people who were saying a change in the date isn’t going to change you or that you lie about bettering yourself every year? These are the people you should try to separate yourself from in the new year, whether it’s done by unfollowing or physically removing people from your life.

If you’re that person, make it a goal of yours to change that.

You’re never too knowledgeable about the kind of year someone had and what the idea of a new one can mean for them. There is no crime in taking advantage of starting fresh.

Keeping people in your circle that are encouraging and uplifting is crucial when sustaining productive and positive energy. They have the power to take it away from you in seconds.

Make sure you have a “why” that is genuine and strong.

Our vision slips away because we often don’t have something driving us to see it through. Why do you want that internship? Is there a change you want to make or influence you strive to have? Recognizing and remembering your why will keep you productive because if it’s genuine and strong, you’ll care about it and do what you have to do to see it through.

What drives you is something that can’t be taken away from you, so be sure to clarify that for your benefit.

We have the power to decide how our year turns out. There are many things that we can’t control, but if we want to make something happen for ourselves, we must be sure to stay productive and encouraged.

Let’s make sure our goals and our proclamations for the new year become accomplishments we can’t stop smiling about in December.