No Resolutions

Welcome to 2013! I almost can't believe it, despite it being seven days in. It's my first blog of the new year, and I thought that, like probably every other person blogging on the planet, I'd use it to take a look at the year ahead. (Fittingly, my last blog took a look at the year behind, also like every other blogger on the planet).

I don't believe in New Years Resolutions. Why? I saw a post on Facebook the other day that said something to the effect of, and I'm totally paraphrasing here if that wasn't obvious, "I'm going to open a new gym that has gym equipment the first six weeks of the year and then turns into a bar for the rest of the year." That pretty much sums it up. Resolutions strike me as the type of action someone declares they'll take after their third cup of coffee in the morning only to discover that by 2 PM they're in a food coma and caffeine slump and all the only thing they could fully commit to is taking a nap. 

Instead of resolutions, I make goals. What's the difference? I looked up the specific definition of "resolution", and while each source worded it slightly differently, almost every one included the terms "firm" and "determination". While this isn't bad in and of itself, it seems to me very black and white, quite unwavering. And as a person who's spent 30 odd years of their life being very black and white, the last thing I need more of is this. It feels like go hard or go home approach and for me, that can get overwhelming. It can also make it way easier to give up all together if you can't quite keep your exact resolution. The various definitions of "goal", on the other hand, contain words such as aim, striving, effort.  It's doesn't indicate a must or must not. It's something you aspire to, and allows you to take baby steps to achieve it. This means that if you stray or are drawn off track - because we all know life throws us curve balls when we least desire them - we can adjust our course and still perhaps attain our goals by another approach. Or if we have to, we can set more reasonable goals based on our new situation. 

So what are my goals for 2013? Well, I'd be lying if I said I had them all set in stone and wasn't still developing the details a bit. But here are some of the general premises. I realize some of them may sound kind of nebulous. However, if you read my blog regularly, or even periodically, you probably can get the rough idea. 

• Narrow down my focus to a couple of key parts of life and really concentrate on those. Sometimes my attention focus, if depicted on a chart, may slightly resemble a lawn sprinkler. I need to reign this in a bit. You can't be everything to everyone/everything. 

• Fulfill the commitments I made through The Artist's Way course/book. This may seem silly (especially if you're unfamiliar with the book) but it's actually incredibly important to me. 

• Do something nice for myself each week. This doesn't mean "instead of working until 6 PM, I'll stop at 5 so I can get the laundry done." I mean genuinely do something for me. Doesn't have to be expensive or extravagant, just nice and just for me. 

• Attend meditation at the Buddhist center at least once per month. I'd love for it to be more often, but I also want to be realistic.

• Allow my creativity to flow more openly. Follow my creative intuition more. 

• And finally, from the title of one of my favorite books, "Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway." I've written a lot on fear. It's one of my favorite topics because it's one of my least favorite parts of life. 

I've purposely listed those actions that I truly feel need improving. Of course, the people and four legged friends in my life are always a top priority. But I am always working focus on them, so I don't feel it's a goal that I'm striving for necessarily. It's something I feel I do well and want to continue to do well. 

So what are your goals for 2013? Have you made them? Why or why not? As always, I'm open for discussion through comments or private messages. Happy New Year! Let's make this the best year yet!