Resolutions

I have mixed feelings about New Year's resolutions. Sometimes I think they're just hype. Other times, I think they are useful ways to consider where you want your life to be going. It's just the getting there that's hard.

For example, I probably made a New Year's resolution to quit smoking a dozen times during my life as a smoker. It never worked. That is, it never worked until the year I made the resolution to quite smoking not on January 1st, but sometime that year. It was April by the time I did it, but it worked.

I've also had some other rather remarkable successes with New Year's resolutions.


On the other hand, of the resolutions I made last year, I only accomplished one of the four. The resolutions were (in no particular order):
1. visit a new restaurant or coffee shop every month
2. finish the novel I've begun
3. run a half marathon
4. read or think about the dissertation at least 15 minutes everyday.

I only really accomplished number 1, and really, it wasn't a terribly hard thing to do - I really only made it a resolution because I wanted to explore the new places in the city.

Number 2 and 3 didn't get completed at all. I had to shelve the half marathon because of injury, which I suppose can't be helped, and I was making good progress until I was forced to stop. I may put it on the list again. I'm a little leery of it because the injury, so we'll see. But the novel? It's not like it actually requires a lot of work. It's 80% complete. It's just that last year I didn't write a single additional page. Why is that? I know I tell myself it's because I've been busy - and I have - but there's gotta be more to it that that because I could've made the time. I'll have to keep pondering that one.

Only number 4 was came really close to being accomplished, especially if I cut myself slack and make it 15 minutes every week day. Then I pretty much accomplished that every day except for perhaps August when we were moving. I've made really good progress on the dissertation, and I really enjoy working on it, so the goal behind the resolution - to pick up my progress on the dissertation - was definitely met.

So now I'm left with wondering if there's anything I want to put on a list for this year. Right now, I'm not certain I want to make any resolutions. Can you still call them New Year's resolutions if it takes you till February to articulate them?