Throughout my whole life I can only remember one year when I actually made a list of resolutions and wrote them down in a journal. Maybe 15 years ago. At the end of that year I found that list and re-read each of those important goals I'd set for myself 365 days prior. My heart sank and I was filled with disappointment, sadness and failure. I was disappointed with myself because I didn't achieve every goal on my list. I was sad because some of the items I'd put on my list seemed frivolous and were no longer important to me. I felt I was a failure because I wasn't turning into the person I thought I would be when I wrote the resolutions. Epic fail.
Needless to say, I don't do that anymore. I don't need to start each year buried in self hatred or regret of items I haven't checked off my list. If I want to make a change in my life during the year I do, right then and right there, I don't wait till New Year's Eve.
If my goals change mid year, mid month or mid week, they do. I don't beat myself up over it. My ideas and priorities change as I grow and mature over the course of a year. It's unpredictable and messy and some might say not challenging enough but this freedom allows my creativity to flow wherever it desires and lets me to focus on what is important in the moment. You know what the best part is? I haven't let myself down once and I can celebrate my achievements rather than focusing on my failures. I'd say that's a pretty great way to start every day, let alone every year.
Marla says
I love your adorable New Year’s picture! I don’t make resolutions either, never really have. I would like to take a photography class this year but that’s the only preplanned future commitment I’m going to make. Everything else I guess will just have to be a surprise.
katherine says
I think I use my ‘resolutions’ more as challenges or just things I wanna do. Because dye my hair is not a resolution. I agree with the goals – I constantly have goals I need to meet (or want to… some of them need to , like pay bills).
<3 katherine
of corgis and cocktails