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I’m a firm believer in not creating New Year’s Resolutions.  The idea that we wait until The New Year to make the changes in our lives that need to be made is preposterous and the reason we often fail to keep our resolutions.  We can’t expect to float through our year being one person and think that an emotional response dictated by tradition will carry us through a massive transformation into the person we want to be.  No, that takes thoughtful, committed, smaller transformations that are often the result of a habit of regularly seeking betterment.  So, each year I flatly ignore the resolution craze and, instead, turn my mind toward reflection.

Looking Back:

  1. I take our planner from the last year and look over all that was done.  I’m often surprised by the events I’d forgotten.  Sometimes looking back, I remember the reasons we didn’t end up going to things that had been penciled in.
  2. I look back over journals and blogs.  They provide more detail and emotion.  Sometimes things that were problems have been resolved but, not necessarily updated in that format.

In the Now:

I take time to reflect on what has transpired and why.  I think on the relationships that have come in, or gone out and, those that have been nourished or broken.  Time to remember that some things need resolution and time to be thankful for those that have been resolved.  I think on the goals that have been achieved and I  re-evaluate the incomplete goals.

Looking Forward:

  1. I take the planner for the next year and record the birthdays and anniversaries of loved ones so that they’re in place and won’t be forgotten.  Sometimes this is where decisions are made.  A planner that includes intentional remembrances for those that are important (whether in good standing or not) and, sometimes, intentional absences as an act of letting go.
  2.  I try to journal or blog about my reflections, about the things that reflection brought to the surface, the things that need my attention.  Also, the empowerment that comes with remembering all that has been done in my life and in the lives of others through me.

So, No Resolutions.  Just an intentional time of reflections to power me forward in becoming the best me I can be- the path I always want to be on not just on January 1st.