New Year’s brings with it a sense of fresh beginnings. Although I’ve been quite the enemy of “New Year’s resolutions”, I decided to let you all know that I have resolved to make a few necessary changes this year.
Why now?
I hate “New Year’s Resolutions” for 3 reasons.
A few years ago, at this time, I began the following post, which I had labeled, “A New Year and the Same Old Resolutions???”
1/20/2010
I have an interesting question for you today, for you and myself. It’s a new year. We are all planning for the events of the year, transferring birthdays and anniversaries from one calendar to another, and writing our own lists of resolutions for this upcoming year of 2010. (and wow… that feels weird to type)….
The destination of that post–the question I never ended up asking because life ran away from me, and here I am two years later, in 2012–is this: Where are you today that is different from last year…. or are you here again, making the same decisions, making the same commitments, swearing to make those necessary changes you knew you needed to make last year but never got there?
….I find myself humbled by my own question.
Am I different person this new year? Did this past year change me, and if so, was it for the better, for the glory of God? Did I hold to my commitments, to those serious things I resolved to do, to accomplish, to avoid, etc?
And what about New Year’s makes this day so special, that I should now suddenly commit to a few things I couldn’t get myself to do yesterday? Will a new year really give me the strength to make those changes, avoid those foods, get up and be active, and love the Word of God and prayer the way I did yesterday? No.
That’s the second reason I hate “New Year’s Resolutions”. If I see change in my life that needs to happen, if I see sin/lack of self-control/issues/lack of discipline, why does it suddenly change because some digits on my calendar do? To me, that is the greatest sign of a failed resolution, that I wait for a date to make these changes.
So, here I am… about to make resolutions. I do so, not to join the crowd of people who write lists and forget them by the month’s end (myself in the past included). I record these here, because today–not yesterday and I waited ’til today–I decided that my life needed some significant change.
- Spend at least 20 minutes a day in the Word and in prayer.
- Read through 5 non-fiction books.
- Dedicate time each week to reading fiction and to writing, both here on my blog and creatively.
- Continue to run regularly and run at least four races this year–I’ve already started scheduling them.
- Learn to coupon.
Another reason I hate New Year’s Resolutions, and I know I’m going a little overboard, is because people–myself included–have a tendency to set unrealistic goals. If being realistic had nothing to do with it, my resolutions might look something like this:
- Read through the whole Bible twice.
- Read through the pile of old fiction Grandpa has in the guest room (Note: The “pile” is 5’x5′–a large bookshelf)
- Write my book
- Run a half-marathon and place in the first 50.
- Pay for all our grocery bills through couponing.
- ….
- ….
- ….
- …
- ….
- and so on….
I hope that my goals have been more realistic in the first list than in the latter.
What about you?
What are your feelings toward resolutions, and what, if any, changes are you making in 2012?
Making My Boast 
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