The phrase Happy new year always seemed hollow to me; How do we know it will be happy at all? We don't.
This time last year many millions of people were saying it and making resolutions for the coming year. Here in Australia we were in the midst of the most devastating wildfires we'd ever had and were on the fringe of hearing about a thing called Covid-19; You might have heard of it in the last twelve months or so. We know now the year was generally not happy at all, for most of us...I wonder how those new years resolutions went?
I've never made new years resolutions; It just didn't feel worth it and as I got older I began to understand making a statement of intent doesn't make that intention come to fruition; It takes a little more than that. It's for that reason I set goals with attached plans instead of new years resolutions. I make them around mid-December after taking the time to investigate how the year-to-date has transpired, how the current years' goals had played out and determining the following year's requirements.
Image taken by me...The last sunset of 2020.
I'm a believer in ownership of self: My thoughts, attitudes and actions. By owning them, applying effort and action, is how I move forward and I take the same approach in respect to my yearly goals which is why I feel last year realisations are more important than new year resolutions.
Keep in mind this is my blog and so relates to me...Y'all can do what you like, it's your life. But for me looking back and making some realisations about how the previous year went is very important; My goals, the plans to achieve them, attitudes, actions, how I treated others, how my job went, my personal life, health, social life, financial matters...All aspects of the year get investigated to determine areas for improvement, to work on in the coming year, and aspects that worked well which would be advantageous to carry forward.
It's those realisations that help me ascertain the goals I'd like to set, how plans get put together and what changes may be necessary based on what I've learned in the year preceding.
It's a mindset thing really, a chance to expand my paradigm to encompass those historical lessons of the year prior, with the intention of making the forthcoming year a little more valuable, successful, happy, productive and generally enjoyable, all based around the previous year and the requirements of the new one. It's more strategic than simply stating something will or will not happen in the upcoming year.
This process works for me, far more effectively than new years resolutions ever did, but it may not for you; My suggestion is that you do what works as there's no hard and fast rule around it...It's your life just like mine is my own. I do what works for me and my wife Faith who also doesn't do new years resolutions but others have to find their own path.
So tell me how you do it. Do you start the year off with one overarching this is going to be a great year statement or do you set a few resolutions for yourself? What do you base it on? The past year and what requirements you have for the new one? Do you simply start the year and let come what may drifting along in directions life takes you? Or are you like me with some set goals and a plan for each? We'll all have a different strategies I guess, that's what makes us, us.
I don't know if there's a right or wrong answer, just your answer, and mine, so tell me...What's up?
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised.
Be well
Discord: galenkp#9209
