It’s the beginning of the new year and that means resolutions. This is a tradition that I’ve only ever halfway understood. The idea of starting afresh or completing a long-desired goal sounds great, and there is a sense of the idea of starting it with a new calendar year, but sometimes that can be limiting. When you say that you’re going to start working on resolutions A, B and C in the hopes of completing them by the end of the year, you might just be creating unnecessary barriers.
For example, if you realize in November that there is a goal you need to work on but you put it off for the New Year, what’s the chances that you’ll still be motivated to do something about it then? Or, because you assume you’ve got the whole year to work on it, your resolution is overly ambitious and you get overwhelmed?
Another problem that comes with this is the idea of failure. We all know people who make resolutions and don’t carry through, and the idea of not completing our own can be incredibly disheartening. Why is this a problem with resolutions? Shouldn’t the idea of failure inspire us to complete our goals? It can. However, it can also keep us from making the right choices regarding our resolutions.
For example, one of my resolutions this year is to keep a bullet journal in the hopes of organizing my life better. I’m only three weeks into 2018 and I’m already unsure if I’ll have the time to maintain it. Since time is precious to me, this journaling resolution might be more unhealthy for my current needs than my previous attempts at organization. If I let the idea of failing to keep up the journal rule my life, I won’t quit even if it takes up too much of my time and energy.
Resolutions often are approached as an all-or-nothing task. Failure isn’t treated as a setback or sign that something might be wrong with how the resolution is currently being handled. Instead, it’s seen as something one can’t come back from—at least, not until next year. It’s like trying to run up a steep hill when its covered in ice. If your foot slips, keep going, but slower. You don’t need to turn around and slide all the way to the bottom.
Resolutions should be timeless and small. There’s no need for ambitious plans that start and end on very specific dates. If you see something in your life that needs an adjustment, start there and be brave enough to face failure. Meanwhile, I’ll be struggling through my journal, even if I don’t think it’ll last even a semester.
