03/01/2022
I enjoy reading people’s posts at this time of the year. Some look forward optimistically, some reflect on past successes and failures and some are sceptical about new resolutions suggesting that goals should be pursued throughout the entirety of the year. I enjoy it though because people are more authentic. You see their hopes, aspirations, challenges.
Personally, I like to set NY resolutions. Often I think we attribute our failures and negative traits to our ‘past selves’. Our ‘present selves’ are consequently viewed with more optimism and confidence. We recognise we have learned from previous shortcomings and inevitably are armed with new experiences that we can learn from. Temporal landmarks (New Year) provide an opportunity to distinguish our past from our present selves and to set new goals and ambitions with accessible timelines.
Last year I set a personal goal to run 1200 miles. It didn’t happen. The middle of the year was hampered with injury, uncertainty and then….laziness. As the end of the year approached, however, I recognised that whilst I wouldn’t achieve that goal, I could still achieve 1,000 total miles for the year if I put in some serious effort. With the help of friends (and a great local running community) I achieved this with a day to spare. Without the ‘end of the year’ looming I would never have increased my effort and experienced the resultant satisfaction and benefit of running more.
Many, perhaps most of us may not achieve the goals we set out to achieve. That does not mean we shouldn’t try. Circumstances change and there are numerous lifestyle factors that can hamper progress and stop us in our tracks but when we set out to try what we inevitably gain is experience and progress that will increase resilience, wisdom and knowledge for the next time.
I hope for you, whether you’ve decided to set new goals or not, that you are enjoying a period of reflection and can look forward optimistically, armed with greater experience and resilience, to 2022 as an opportunity for progress, a chance to rediscover meaning and purpose and ultimately to experience some of the enjoyment that life has to offer.
Here are some of my NY resolutions.