Happy New Year! An author I follow just shared a post asking whether their followers if they’d be making New Year’s resolutions this year. Or if they were like others who don’t because statistics say most of us don’t follow through with these resolutions---apparently about 80% according to an article I read. I no longer make New Year’s resolutions, but my reasoning has nothing to do with the failure rate. I review goals or resolutions frequently to maintain mental wellness. But a recent discussion with my daughter gave me a fresh point of view.
As I mentioned in a recent post, December is a month of reflection for me. A sort of accounting of how I’ve progressed on a variety of goals I set for 2022. Once I’ve reevaluated these goals, I decide whether I want to continue working on them or if life circumstances dictate changing a goal or adding a new one.
Resolutions should line up with what we want from life. True, to help us grow, goals should make us stretch. But no matter how far I stretch and hard I work; it is most unlikely I would become a practicing physician. At 67, it would be an unrealistic goal for me. Maybe someone else could do this, but it’s not in the cards for me. I feel that sometimes we make unrealistic resolutions in the dazzle of New Year’s celebrations.
Been There Done That
Anyway, by the time New Year’s Day rolls around. I already know my goals, my resolutions for the coming year: spend more time in my flower gardens, visit my grandchildren, finish and publish my novel, get better at marketing my writing, be a decent human, have a positive impact within my community. Those are the more public, big ones. Some a carried over from the previous year. Some are new.
How Could It Be Different?
My daughter agreed with me overall, but felt that reaffirming these goals, resolutions on New Year’s Day, gave them an expediency. It gave her an opportunity to refocus. Not all of us review goals or resolutions as frequently as I do. The frequent review is something I do. After thinking about it for a short while, I find I agree with her. Making a resolution at the beginning of the year can help us motivate ourselves for the coming year. May you have a wonderful New Year.
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