Skip to main content

Why It's OK to Make (the Same) Resolutions Yet Again



January 1st:  a day a resolutions.  Often, a day to dust off last year's resolutions and begin anew.  This "wash, rinse, repeat" method of goal-setting tends to bring guilt to some, and to make others throw up their hands and say, "Forget it!" To any of you who wish the focus on resolutions would just go away, might I suggest a different perspective?

". . . by small and simple things are great things brought to pass. . ." (Alma 37:6)



Small steps, repeated daily, make me who I am.  Sometimes I tend to underestimate the power of routine.  I discount the simple steps, and look for something more to make me who I want to be. 
source
If I focus on where I am not, and refuse to just start moving in the direction I want to go, I will never get there.  However, if I consistently take one small step after another, I will find that those steps add up.


source

In 2013, I ran a 10K race for the first time ever.  Last year, I ran two 10Ks.  I've already signed up for two to be held in 2015, and plan to add in at least one more.  However, in the month of December I hardly ran at all. My next 10K  race is in a couple of weeks.  I'm woefully unprepared for it.  

Like those who feel guilt over the thought of resolutions, I still fight with myself mentally regarding my accomplishments.  Am I a real runner?  NO, and yes. No, because I don't look like a runner, I'm not fast, I haven't run much lately, and I've never run a marathon (and, truth be told, I don't even want to run 26.2 miles in one stretch!) Yes, because. . . well, I've run.  

source
Am I where I want to be?  Not yet.  Not even close.  And, I'm pretty sure that I ran less in December 2013 than I did in December 2012.  At this point, I could tell myself, "See?  You'll never become a real runner!" or I could remember that I am more of a runner than I used to be.  There is no magic finish line, no race that will transform me into a real runner.  But each little step accumulated over time is another drop in my real runner bucket.  

Running one step is not difficult.  Consistently running day after day is a challenge, but instead of beating myself up for days missed, I need to focus on the positive, pick myself up, and just start again.  

So, while my 2015 resolutions look eerily like my _____(pick a year, any year) resolutions, I'm OK with that.  I'm learning to be patient with myself.  I'm learning to look not so much for a finish line, but to recognize the blessings of the small steps along the way. Unless I reach perfection in the next 12 months (and please don't imagine that I think that is possible!), my 2016 resolutions will look like this year's resolutions.  And that's OK.  

Setting resolutions allows me to recommit myself to those things that are important to me.  Is my physical health as great as it can be? Is there room for improvement in my spiritual health?  In my relationships with others?  In prioritizing my time?  Every year, as I set resolutions to improve, I am acknowledging the importance of those things in my life.  I am planning to do a little better.  And by each small and simple thing, I become more of who I really, truly am.  

Thankful thought:  I'm thankful that the small things count.  


Pin It

Comments

  1. …I like the theme of perseverance in this post. The quote of 'dusting off' brought to mind my own favorite form of that principle. I don't recall the original source, but the expression is quite simple, 'get knocked down 10 times, get up 11'
    One of my resolutions this year is to explore the (extended/expanded) application of the practice of 'identification', which for me, is to try and 'see the world as the other person is experiencing it'.
    I believe that one of the best things about (trying to) identify with the other person is that it does not require one to become the other person (at least in terms of particular knowledge or attitudes or opinions), it simply charges us to try and 'know how it feels to experience...'

    ReplyDelete
  2. You have such a wonderful attitude and this was just what I needed to read today. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Persistence always pays off!

    My goals for the year are "recycled," too.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Conversations are so much nicer when more than one person does the talking. :-) Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts; I'd love to hear from you!

Popular posts from this blog

Ten Things of Thankful: Autumn Edition

It's autumn time, one of my favorite times of year.  I just couldn't leave this weekend as a one-post weekend.  

Ten Things of Thankful: Last Two Weeks

  Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park, as viewed from an overlook I apologize for not commenting on your blog posts this past week; John and I took a vacation to Yellowstone National Park, leaving behind our computers and, to a large extent, cell phone service. We escaped the outside world and just spent time in nature. Though we have friends near Yellowstone (who we love to visit) we made this trip just about us, so please forgive us if we were nearby and didn't stop by. The crowds were minimal (though we did mask up whenever we passed someone on the trails) and we spent our days hiking, taking photos, and watching geysers erupt. Today, we are back home and back to work, and, in the case of my computer, back to old shenanigans like not letting me import my photos. (I was able to add the above photo by using blogger on my phone, but that isn't my preferred method.) I want to write about Yellowstone and have photos I want to share, but will leave that for another

Monday Mentions: Equate Crutches

Have you ever needed crutches? I hadn't, until a week ago.  I'm pretty sure I strained a muscle while running a half-marathon.  (That sounds kind of cool, doesn't it? I'm not actually that cool; the last time I strained a muscle it was from carrying too many shopping bags at once.) In any case, I found myself in need of some crutches. I sent my husband to the store to get some. Photo: A pair of crutches leans against a wall  Not that crutches are all that complex, but because I hadn't used any before, I wondered if I could figure out how to adjust them to fit me properly. I shouldn't have worried. John came home from Walmart with their generic store brand of crutches, complete with instructions. First, I needed to take out a long bolt that went through the hand grip. Then I needed to find my height range, push down two metal pieces, and slide the crutches until the little metal pieces came up in the hole near my height range. (Having two people for this