A Tick of the Clock

Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.

~Hal Borland~

Have you ever wondered how things can be new just because the clock strikes midnight?  Why do we think that one second can change our whole life?  In my opinion, there is absolutely no difference from one second to the next insofar as our actions and mindsets are concerned unless we choose to make it different.


Here's what I think:  time is a man-made concept and only exists for each of us during our own lifetimes from the moment of birth to the moment of death.  Before birth and after death, time does not exist for us as individuals.


I think we subconsciously look for a logical starting or stopping point whenever we want to begin something new or end something old.  That's probably why we make new year resolutions.  The first day of a new year just seems like perfect timing.  We can begin a new diet, stop smoking, get our financial affairs in order, become more grateful, etc, at any point we choose.


A tick of the clock is just that - a tick.  It doesn't matter if it signals the switch from one hour to the next,  from one day to the next or from one year to the next.  It's just a convenient catalyst to use as motivation.


I've made resolutions in the past - same ones over and over actually.  I don't make them anymore.  The truth is, we make changes in our lives when we're mentally ready to make them not because of a clock tick.  We can begin brand new or we can stop old habits at any point we choose.  Why let a clock dictate our beginnings or endings?


Did I say I don't make resolutions anymore?  I did but I'm changing my mind.  My new resolution is to not let time determine my actions.  I will strive every moment to be better than I was the moment before.


What do you choose?