Sheryl Crow didn't coin the aphorism, but she was right on when she sang that some change would do you good.
At this point in the year, as the 12th month nears to the end and many individuals reflect upon the previous 365 days, many would agree: some change would be good.
I'm sure you've already started to shape your list of New Year's resolutions, but the pressing question is why do people wait until the arrival of a new year to make changes in their life?
Let's be serious for a second. If someone truly and wholeheartedly wants to modify their lifestyle, what difference does it make if the date is January 1st or September 14th?
It shouldn't matter.
Factors such as date, location, and environment should be irrelevant because change comes from within a person.
But in the world of sports, we always hear how change would do some good.
Maybe if that quarterback was competing for his job instead of being the unquestioned starter, maybe if that power forward was on a different team, he would be more physical, or maybe that temperamental defensemen would be more laid back in another city.
Or maybe a new start with a different team would help Ron Artest.
A new coach, a new team, or a new philosophy may ignite something from inside, but regardless of the various peripherals that initiate the transformation, at the end of the day, the person still has to change himself.
Guys like Artest don't want to change and after a brief honeymoon stage, they will revert back to their true form.
Just like you, after January passes and you realize that none of your resolutions are sticking.
Terrell Owens is another individual who feigned the urgency to change, but really just wanted to change his environment. He didn't actually want to change himself.
No, that's too difficult. It's much easier to change everyone and everything around you and hope that the new settings are more comfortable with the way you behave instead of just changing yourself to fit everything else.
Man, it's a bleak world, isn't it? But don't start with the long face, I'm not saying that a person is not capable of changing.
Take Rasheed Wallace, for example. In Portland, he was a volatile power forward who had more T's than a Hawaiian shirt stand. But when he was traded to Detroit, he made a concerted effort to change his image. The coach and the situation factored, but as the saying goes, you can only bring the cow to the water, you can't make them drink it.
See, sometimes people can change.
Just don't be fooled by the ones who lie about it.
Whenever you are examining a situation gone bad, look for clues. Is the individual accepting the onus and talking about how they themselves need to remodel their thinking? Or are they pointing the finger of blame in various other directions?
And most importantly, are they sticking to the new plan days, weeks, and months later?
Are you?
Preaching and New Year's resolutions mix like Mondays and me.
"Be the change that you want to see in the world." — Mohandas Gandhi
Leave a Comment