Lately as we are coming to the end of the year and beginning to think about new years plans and resolutions, I have been considering what sort of changes I want to make in my own life.

It’s all the usual suspects, feel fitter and more healthy, get a better job, find success in my writing, make more friends and connections, make more money, travel—you know the vibe.

But as I was thinking about these things, and considering all the changes that I would have to make, I immediately felt hesitant. Especially because it was going to require a lot of effort, as well as money and time. I had to evaluate whether the sacrifice for these changes was worth it. In other words, did I want the change more than I wanted the comfort and safety of what I already knew?

It reminded me of this quote that keeps coming up about how if you want the same results, do the same thing, but if you want different (better) results, you need to do things differently. Surprising? Hardly, but it is a good kick to seriously look at what you are doing now and what results you are getting.

To no one’s surprise, it is true that doing things that have been proven to work, actually make life better! I certainly found this recently with my growing success on Threads. Posting multiple times a week actually does help you gain followers, and I’ve jumped from almost 100 to 145 as of writing this post (psst Threads followers, you guys are great!)

Now, I wouldn’t say that I dislike my life right now, but I definitely want it to look very different, so I’m going to have to make changes, simple as that. Fortunately, I know that by listening to the advice out there, making the changes will actually show improvement over time. Phew.

But for all you people who are immediately stressing and asking ‘but what is the right choice to make?’ stop it right now. There is no right way unfortunately, and the sooner you realise that the sooner you can start moving. In life, I have always lived by the mantra of ‘take the next best step’. Then, you are constantly moving on a positive path because these little steps add up.

Interestingly, that brings me to another question that has been playing on my mind recently.

Why is it that even though we know how to live better, know what changes to make, and have the access or ability to do so, we don’t choose to change for the better?

This question applies to almost everything in the world at large, and I have been so frustrated as I’ve been examining different issues and all the ways that we could do things better, but don’t.

While looking at solutions for homelessness, this question solidified in my mind. I was so frustrated with governments and different stakeholders, the landlords who jack up prices and the people who believe that a house is a reward and not a right, when I remembered the mirror principle.

It’s a curious thing, and many people explain it in all kinds of different ways. I understand this theory to refer to the fact that the external world around you is a reflection of the internal world. Now, I have my doubts and reservations about the validity of this, and I do believe that our external worlds can shape our internal selves just as much, but it always helps me to find a new perspective.

One question that I like to ask is what is being reflected? Going back to the homelessness issue I was grappling with, I was furious as I asked why people don’t do more to fix these issues (not the homeless people! I know they are just trying to survive, I’m more annoyed with the society who leaves them behind). Yet, as I was examining this theoretical mirror, I realised that the question could be posed to me too.

Why is it that even though I know how to live better, know what changes to make, and have the access or ability to do so, I don’t choose to change for the better?

Rather than turning my annoyance outwards, I looked back to myself for this instance. Now, I still think there are a lot of issues that society and the world at large needs to work on, but I am not perfect either. I need to make sure that I am a well-rounded, focused, and educated person so that I can help make the change that I want to see in the world. I also need to actually get out on the ground and start working on these issues which I care about. It’s all well and good to understand them theoretically and to ‘know’ what changes need to be made, but knowledge and action are two different spheres.

It was all very ‘get your own house in order first’ and ‘careful of the plank in your own eye while accusing the neighbour with a splinter in theirs’.

This revelation spurred me onto making the changes that I wanted to see, so that I could get some different, hopefully better results.

I’d love to hear if you are beginning to think about your own growth and the improvements you are planning to make coming into 2025, which is arriving much faster than I first anticipated.