Maybe it’s just me, but I haven’t seen a bunch of articles on New Year’s Resolutions this year.
I have to wonder if that’s because people aren’t writing about goals this year, or if they’re still working on one of the bigger goals in their lifetime—to survive 2020 with some sanity and positivity. Maybe the resolutions are already built into our psyche— that 2021 will be better than last year no matter what we do?
If you are one of those people who had a good (enough?), or strong 2020. That is great. Maybe it’s your mentality, or maybe it’s just the way the circumstances fell. No shame in progress, no matter its form.
Purposely
I don’t really do New Year’s Resolutions. Yes, I understand it’s “a new year” and “a new start,” but living in Arizona in a FIRE lifestyle, it is really, really hard to tell one week/month from the next. That isn’t necessarily a good thing. It takes conscious effort to make sure to appreciate every day. However, the start of a January 1st “day” isn’t all that hugely significant.
However, I do plan each year to give myself a Christmas present, a revelation to myself—a gift to myself. I give myself the gift of steering my days and challenges to meet some level of a goal over a period of time. It’s my Christmas Revelation.
Past Revelations
My goals might be: run 365 miles this year, run+bike 1000 miles, do yoga each week, meditate multiple times per week, help people every day, do 3 nice things for others each day, eat 8 fruits/veggies per day, eat only from noon to 8 pm, be a nicer and calmer person to those around me, etc. etc.
There is no difference to the betterness goal of my life structure in my revaluation than a resolution, but I treat it as a gift to myself. In typing that, I realize I am so very self-centered with so many things in my life. Hmmm, that doesn’t seem that great, but I try to expound external goodness in many ways.
Simple
I like the simple—but not easy—target of having a word for the year. Once single, little, simple word to steer your yearly actions and decisions. That seems quite doable if you can remember to keep your word in focus.
Do you have a plan, and quantifiable targets to make things better this year?
How do you tackle your progress: Christmas revelations. Goals for the year. Activities, Actions, Word of the year?
*** Nothing in this article is to be construed as financial advice. I am not a financial planner, nor do I pretend to be. You should always consult your own professional when seeking advice. This post is not a piece of literary mastery, just a random thought I had.