Why you should avoid resolutions

At this time of year, many people think about establishing resolutions for the new year in an effort to set goals for personal or professional improvement. I see this as a weakness rather than a strength due to the rapid speed of the decision-making process and the short-sightedness of the resolutions. My preference is to continuously pursue life goals that I have carefully determined after analyzing my past and present and following much reflection on my desired future. These life goals are profound, provoke constant action and are all-consuming as far as my thoughts and dreams are concerned.

I recently viewed a Ted Talk in which the speaker evoked the principle that the best way to reach your goals is to keep them a secret since this drives intrinsic motivation to a higher degree and prevents seeking superficial praise and accolades from others. As tempting as it is to share my life goals because I believe that it could spark interest in others to pursue similar goals, I greatly value the intimate connection that I have with my objectives. They produce constant reflection and motivation. I often fall asleep thinking about my life goals and evaluate my position in relation to my quest. In those moments, I focus on the celebrations and setbacks of the journey, the meaningfulness of my relationships, the quality of my interactions, the joy of trying my best and the depth of my desire to succeed.

To all those that promise to go to the gym more often, eat healthier, quit smoking, stop drinking, change jobs, get out of or into a relationship, organize your house or organize your life, I wish you well in your endeavors. I also challenge you to step back and look at the big picture. If you consider your past as the first chapters in your book of life and the present chapter coming to an end as the year ends, then it is time to write the next chapters of your story. If you believe that you can purposefully live your life and therefore impact your future, what would it look like? How would the next chapters begin and how would they end? There are many factors that we do not control that create obstacles and opportunities along the way but I am convinced that if you focus on the end of each chapter then you have a greater chance of attaining your goals and turning your dreams into reality. I have and continue to do so.

I wish you all a healthy, happy and meaningful new year. May your journey over the next 365 days bring you closer to your life goals and the people you love, may you find personal fulfillment in your professional pursuits and may you feel gratitude for all the small treasures and big moments that life offers. Savour the moment, seize the day and make this year your best year.