Why I made a New Years Resolution

What is the point of a New Years Resolution?  I ask myself this a lot.  The year from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018 is absolutely no different than the year from March 26, 2018 to March 25, 2019; the same seasons flowing into each other in the same order, the same days, the same weeks.  So why do we believe that the start gun for self-improvement fires at midnight on January 1st, and if the heat is missed we wait until the next January?

Granted, there is no better time than January to start a new self improvement program. Late December attitudes rapidly moves away from ‘it’s the Holidays – indulge yourself’ to ‘how are you going keep those New Years Resolutions’, moving self improvement into the collective consciences.  Courses pop up to help you move your goals forward and cultural acceptance validates any resolution started at the beginning of the year.  Tell somebody in January “Oh, I’m not eating chocolate any more – it’s my New Years Resolution”, it is immediately accepted; however, tell them the same thing July 8 and you will be expected to provide a complete list of motivations, goals, and attempted alternatives.  So why not use your annual get-out-of-inquisitions-free card?

And why am I making a New Years Resolution this year?

My thoughts and dreams are rooted in the seasons.  A cold, clear December snowshoeing through the alpine is echoed by previous Decembers, and the dreams I quietly nurtured.  And every December I, too, am susceptible to the social cues for self-reflection.  As I strap on my snowshoes, I feel the memory of hibernating dreams awaken as their season crystallizes.  This year the dreams were so familiar.  Hike the Pacific Crest Trail, get my PhD, write a blog, run the Juan de Fuca trail, or learn hand lettering.  Dearest aspirations previously set aside in favour of alternative pursuits, or goals as loosely set as ‘I’m going to do it this year, and this year I mean it’.

I live my life with vim and zeal, allowing events to unfold as a series of erratic and disjointed experiences and challenges.  I do a lot of wonderful and amazing things, however, there is not always a lot of room for accomplishments only achieved as a result of sustained effort.  To realize such dreams, my status quo will not suffice and a new approach is required: I am reigning myself in and setting a Resolution, complete with action plans, milestones, and deliverables.

That Resolution is to write a blog, starting small with one complete post a week and building momentum from there.

Let’s see where this goes.  Together.