This year, however, I found myself thinking deeply about the ‘excitement’ people had of drawing the year to a close. On New Year’s Eve, the air is electric with the joy that traverses the globe. Pollution goes up a great per cent as smoke and fire light up the skies with marvellous firework displays. Everyone dances and screams with glee as the clock hits midnight.

Even though scientists have told us how the earth’s spinning is responsible for the day and night. They have told us how it takes 365 and a quarter days for the earth to make a whole circle.

On the night of December 31, the Earth returns to its starting position and at midnight, it begins the journey all over. I believe the people took this scientific fact and added daisies and rainbows to make it more magical; a fresh start.

Yes, we start the calendars and the clocks all over again, but is the beginning of a new rotation around the sun that meaningful to us mortals? Why do we make such a hoopla about it? We journal about all the new things we want to do for ourselves. We set goals that coincide with the calendar year, and we set off with so much hope into another year.

Watching the people talk about New Year resolutions and having so many expectations for the new year had me thinking, does the day define the opportunity or does the person define it? Why does it matter that your weightloss journey starts on the first of January and not the 30th of November? How does one promise themselves to be ‘more outgoing’ this year than last year? The timidness is in you, all you need is a moment to overcome it.

There is a notion among the people that there is some type of magical beginning on New Years day, something that enhances our abilities to be a better version of ourselves. In reality, New Year’s day is just another Thursday. It has the same 24 hours as the day before and the day that will follow. You will wake up in the same body and the same mind as you have for the many years before.

Choosing to begin something should not have to correspond to the date.  We choose to begin something when we are ready for it. The day and month of the calendar do not play a significant role in these matters. What matters is our desire to start. Making the difficult choice to do something when everything is stacked against you is the real magic. Deciding to stop something for the greater good is the 00:00 of your internal clock. That is the only ‘New Year’s midnight’ that matters; the day you finally make the change.

If you are one of those people who wrote up a list of resolutions and goals, ask yourselves this: Where does it say that starting something in January gives it that much power? You need 21 days to break a habit. You need nine months to grow a human. But it only takes a second to make a decision. If you want to be the best version of yourself, just do it, because the earth’s journey around the sun has nothing to do with it.