A new year, a new you. This year will be the year that we finally do all the things that we’ve been putting off. We’ll fit into those old jeans again, be more selfless, and keep the house a little cleaner. As of January 1, we will be new. There’s magic in that day.

Except that there really isn’t, is there? The reality is that January 1 is no more life-changing than any other day. We are still the same people that we were the day before. We have the same strengths and weaknesses. The turn of the clock and the flip of the calendar hasn’t changed us.

What does change on January 1 is our mindsets. We see a new year as a clean slate, a chance to redeem or top last year. A chance to make a change.

That’s what we’ve decided January 1 is all about. A chance to change. But if you look closely, you’ll see that it is really just another day when the sun sets far too early, a day off of work, and an excuse to sleep in. There’s nothing transformative about the day itself.

We’ve prescribed the meaning that January 1 holds in our own minds. We’ve decided what it represents. So why don’t we decide to see every day that way?

Our goals and accomplishments don’t have to be bookended by January 1 and December 31. We can resolve to make changes and take chances any time.

A “new you” doesn’t have to start with a new year. Since the day of the year doesn’t change who we are, we can decide to change who we are any day. If we want to lose weight come February, get a new job come June, or volunteer come September, we can do it. Our lives are constantly changing. New opportunities, motivations, and goals arise all the time, often when we least expect it, and we don’t have to wait for a new year to take hold of them.

That’s why this year my resolution is that this resolution will be my last. I’ve resolved to stop waiting for the “right time” or a new year to snag opportunities, push for new goals or start being a better version of myself.

Its a resolution to stop seeing my life boxed into 365 days, and instead see it for the constant and continuous, ever-changing ride that it is.

The day of the year doesn’t determine what we do, we determine what we do with the day of the year. January 1 and every day can be the start of something new. Each day comes with that potential already built in, if we just make the decision to see it.