Last year, I was so interested in having goals written down and posted everywhere so wherever my mind or body wandered to, they would consistently reappear. It became almost an obsession that got me somewhat farther in some goals and pretty much nowhere in others.
And this year, my friend wrote me a letter asking what mine would be this year. And she followed with, why not just skip them altogether?
I really stopped and thought about it. Why make resolutions that you will only look at months later and go, well that's too hard or I needed to have started earlier. Why give yourself such pressure early on?
With that in mind, I jotted down what would have been my resolutions for 2015 and instead made them into daily goals or habits that would slowly but surely change the outcome of my year.
A few of them include drinking more water, practicing a skill everyday, reading for a few minutes (either morning or night). They might not seem major, but they do add up to about an hour everyday. And perhaps they still are in some way resolutions, but there is no outside pressure to go above and beyond each day to achieve some high and mighty end goal, that if not checked off, leaves me with the feeling of guilt and regret on the last day of the year.
These types of daily goals are allowing me to focus on each day and on what is in front of me and not always what's ahead of me. The end goal is easy to come up with, read 100 books in the year, but the breakdown has stopped me from procrastinating.
And in all honesty, I feel a lot happier. There is no big wall or obstacles that need to be accomplished at the end of the year. The focus on the here and now is making me stop and enjoy each and every small task. And if I fail, it's okay, the world will still be there tomorrow.
Any resolutions that you are working on, picking up or thinking about finally laying them all to rest?
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