Photo via ELI
The inevitable inundation of 2017 New Years Resolutions has been in full swing since practically the beginning of 2016. I am so thrilled to see everyone with a new-found drive to get a full time job, or to lose ten pounds, or to touchdown in every single continent in one 72-hour span. It is amazing that I see all my friends, enemies, and those in-between having dreams and goals and aspirations and fresh outlooks on life and the mindset that 2017 will be the best year of their lives.
But if I see one more New Years Resolution on my Twitter feed, I may scream until my overly emotional, pessimistic teenage brain crumbles into 365 (or 366, if it’s a leap year) tiny pieces.
Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with having a goal, when there is nothing you would rather do than actualize it. Goal-setting is actually one of my favorite things to do. It is cathartic, motivating, and refreshing. And when I succeed in reaching that goal, big or small, it feels like I am being lifted into the skies by every gust of wind, and the birds chirping are actually just echoing an avant-garde rendition of “We Are The Champions”. Too often, people place value on things that are rare. We value diamonds, because they are hard to come by. We value athletic talent, because people who can dunk on a 10-foot rim are hard to come by. We value resolutions, because we set them once a year, everyone at the same time, so we are a part of something bigger.
This feeling is an almost ethereal experience. An experience that is too good to be isolated to things that are made in the beginning of the calendar year.
Contrary to popular belief, resolutions do not have to be a grandiose achievement that you can only complete over a long period of time. Daily, weekly, and monthly resolutions are possible.
Imagine: you wake up in the morning, and you notice that for the past week you have slacked in your artistic medium. You haven’t put a pen to the paper, a brush to the easel, or a finger to the keyboard, in days. So you say to yourself, “This week is my week! I will write 4 poems this week.” And if you succeed in that goal, that’s amazing! Get ready to be serenaded by the chirping birds. And the beauty of frequent goals is that if you don’t succeed, it won’t be the end of the world. A new goal is looming in the near future for you to tackle and be triumphant in.
So, I hope that you all join me this year in having frequent resolutions. Set your New Years Resolutions, but remember the benefits of having goals all year round, all the time. And everyone is championing that you are successful in your endeavors.
