Resolved_New Year 2023

Another year, another clean slate to fill. Or at least that’s how most people see it.

Is it, though? Considering the ‘New Year’ is simply the Gregorian calendar signifying the completion of the sun’s orbit around the earth and back to a new cycle again, does it mean the same for our lives?

Maybe. It is a matter of perspective, after all.

As the New Year revelry dies down, the food consumed, some quality time spent with family and loved ones, and after-party cleanup done, it becomes just another day again.

The quiet settles as the mind attempts to find footing on what the New Year brings. Do I even dare do the common thing of coming up with New Year’s resolutions again?

Haven’t we had enough, year after year? Have you made a New Year’s resolution that you were able to keep?

Often, the answer is NO. Here’s why.

We go into making ‘resolutions’ with the intent of improving certain aspects of our lives. That we had had enough of the dissatisfaction that permeated us as we review the year gone by. The fear of regret, or of missing out because we feel we didn’t make enough of an effort.

That’s not a bad thing, you say. Of course, not. However, it doesn’t always address the problem that needs to be resolved.

Making resolutions (not just for New Year’s) is like problem-solving, after all. You have to do the legwork of truly delving into yourself and the root cause of the never-ending loop that causes you to fail, or why you are even doing them. It is just not a fad, or because the fires of self-improvement inspiration lit you.

There’s a comic strip that quips that if New Year’s resolutions were treated like a business agreement, we’d be more inclined to fulfill them, for fear of being sued for breach of contract. Amusingly accurate, isn’t it?

What does it mean to be ‘resolute’ anyway?

It means having the will to see things through once you’ve committed yourself to doing so. To never waver as you finish the journey on the path you’ve set yourself up on. To not succumb to the wiles of procrastination, nor the whispers of self-doubt that often nullify any progress made.

Would I be making New Year’s resolutions and trying to keep them this year? We’ll see. It continues to be a challenge doing so, but we do get better over time.

Here’s to hoping 2023 will be an amazing year for all us. Happy New Year, everyone!