Why I never set New Year's Resolutions and why I changed my mind.
Happy 2017!
It's hard to believe another year has come and gone. I say it every January, but time sure does fly. As we turn our calendars, I find myself thinking about resolutions. Perhaps you fall into the make-a-resolution camp, or perhaps you are more like me and have an anti-resolution bias. In truth, I tend to avoid making New Year's resolutions for two main reasons - out of principle and out of fear.
A big part of me feels like there's nothing special about January 1st that should compel me to do things I should be doing anyway. If it's important enough to do in the first place, I should already be doing it whether I start in January or July. It's the principle of the thing.
And then there's the lingering fear that a New Year's resolution is just a big set-up for failure. I applaud people who set annual goals for themselves and can actually follow through. Eat better. Sleep more. Exercise. Make time for friends. It's pretty basic stuff, right? How hard could it possibly be?
Turns out it's incredibly hard. How many times have you made a so-called firm decision, only to find yourself a week later, wavering on whether or not you have the willpower to really follow through? Me, too. Like the time I resolutely told myself I wouldn't eat all the Christmas candies only to resolutely defy myself by eating literally all the Christmas candies. That was last week.
I've gone a number of years now without setting a single New Year's resolution. But something in me feels differently this year, and I'd like to try it on for size. Well, sort of. Instead of jumping into the deep end with a specific goal, I'm dipping my toe in and applying a New Year's theme.
Themes are easier to remember and stick to when we're too tired to care. They're positive and motivating. They aren't circumscribed to a single area - a single theme can be applied to many daily decisions to create real change.
To come up with a theme, think about what you value most in life. Then find a personal theme that inspires you. Your theme should be general enough to apply to multiple contexts, and not just limited to a single behavior like drinking less or losing weight. Try to come up with something positive and uplifting. For example, my theme this year is re-invigoration. (On some days it's more like resuscitation, but that sounds too de-motivating.) Either way, the idea is to break out of my work-eat-sleep rut, make room for the things in life I enjoy most, and challenge myself in those pursuits. Re-invigoration is not really a goal. It's a central idea that I can reflect upon to inform my decisions and act on - a personal guidepost, if you will.
Re-invigoration translates into a number of opportunities to close the gap between where I am and where I hope to be in January 2018. I hope to finish school, discover new passions, and resurrect old passions. I hope that my re-invigorated self is happier and more focused on exercise and health. And even though I don't know where I'll succeed and where I'll falter, daily choices that align with my theme for 2017 will certainly lead to a few surprises about who I am and what I'm capable of achieving. I'm looking forward to discovering what those surprises will be.
I'm not saying that we should never set goals. Themes and goals actually go hand-in-hand. But this New Year, make a resolution not to make a resolution. Try a theme on for size instead. Thanks for reading, and Happy New Year!