Make Any Resolutions?

The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul. ~ G. K. Chesterton

How are those New Year Resolutions going for ya? I was reading that resolutions should be SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. That sounds smart. For example, I made a resolution to write more publicly. How am I going to do that, you ask? Well, I started this blog and I am going to try to write it at least three times a week for a year and a half. Success rate? Day three and this is my third blog. Whew!!

I have not always been so specific with my resolutions. I glanced back over journals recently and noticed a few not so SMART goals: lose weight, pray more, travel, eat healthier, stay in better touch with friends, etc. We all make those sweeping dream statements, I suppose. Sadly, I noticed that some of the same goals end up in journal writing on an annual basis. How seriously do I take my resolutions? Perhaps as seriously as most people but I would like that to change this year.

One of the other things I have noted about resolution making is that the goal should be positive. So I am guessing that means “Lose 30 pounds, Tubby!” won’t have the same success rate as “Create your new skinny look by cutting sugar in half, sweetie!” Those voices we hear in our head are really the masters of our lives. Over the decades, I have worked on letting go of those critical whinings and replaced them with melodious cheerleaders. I like Chesterton’s quote and maybe using that lens will help me keep my focus this year. Annually, I hope that I grow and am liberated from attitudes and behaviours that bind me in unhealthy ways. A new soul each year is a gift, not because the old one was bad but because no newness means staleness and life offers too many lessons not to be open to growth.

Peace,

Suzanne