Amid the champagne and other spirits that flow at the end of most December’s many people set resolutions for the upcoming year, as though they are starting anew.
More than 100 million people have fallen for this trap of believing January can be just the catalyst for a change in their life. Since more than 90 percent of us fail to meet all those goals we have set, there is no shame in admitting that 2011 is half over and most of our optimism has dissipated like those chocolates we either ate or bought for Valentine’s Day.
I did not set any resolutions for myself this year. But in the days before my birthday I attempted to set 26 goals for myself. The fact I couldn’t even find 26 things I wanted to accomplish, should have been an indicator just how hard it is to fulfill one’s To-Do list in a given year.
Of the 20 things that I scribbled down, some have been accomplished and that includes “regaining strength in my right hand” after breaking my writing hand the day after my birthday. There are others like “proposing to Whitney” that I’m still working on.
Perhaps our inability to finish what we start has infiltrated other areas of our culture and lives to the point that we find it odd when someone actually does lay out an ambitious plan and accomplish it. Or perhaps that is looking at something as wistful as a New Year’s resolution too seriously. Either way, the midway point of the year is an opportune time to bring up a larger point about setting goals for ourselves.
If I got a 40 on a test when I was in school my parents would probably have a conniption. But, if I said eight of my 20 goals have been completed through six months, the optimists that they are would say that I have six more months to finish my list.
Then again life could be worse as there are six more months in the year for us to resolve our unfinished resolutions—even if that extra cupcake is tastier than the thought of looking perfect at the beach.
Laughs and liveliness,
-Wb
