New Year

Don’t you love New Year’s Resolutions? For years I couldn’t help but make at least two or three.

Lose 20 lbs. 

Quit smoking.

Exercise. 

Eat healthier.

Make all A’s for spring semester.

Naturally, I broke every single one of them, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying.

Eventually, I quit making any New Year’s Resolution. To some extent it was an attempt to quit dreaming about a desirable future self. Why dream when you aren’t sure where you’re going?

After looking back at the start of 2012, I noticed an interesting pattern to my resolutions. They all focused on something outward, such as my appearance. Rarely did I think about or consider my attitude as the source of the problem.  Last year I made my first New Year’s Resolution in several years – Don’t Wait.

The goal was to change how I thought. Instead of waiting for something to happen, I would take action. To ask a question, if I didn’t understand the point being made, I would ask for clarification. I did something instead of waiting for the perfect moment, the perfect situation, or the perfect time.

My New Year’s Resolution for 2013 – I will have courage.

Image: New Years Sunrise by The Waterboy via Flickr CC