It’s the end of another blessed year and time to plan for the up and coming one. Whether you’re a devotee of New Year’s resolutions or not, it’s hard not to reflect on the previous months with a compare and contrast mindset. Did you save more money than last year? Did you lose the weight you promised you would? Did you find the love you deserve? Did you spend more time with family and friends?
Some prefer to take the road less traveled. Others, me included, like to at least plan for construction ahead. I never believed in making resolutions until I realized they are simply the roadmaps we use to navigate life. That simple paradigm has sparked all the creative pursuits and practical goals I’ve accomplished this past year. My writing, my music, and my recent ability to consider a future beyond the weekend all began with the roadmap I set for myself this time last year.
But unlike an actual map, there’s no reconnaissance. Charting our way on this journey is done day by day, hour by hour, and sometimes minute by minute. As life cartographers, our successes and failures are the only survey we have to go by. And embracing and understanding our failures is every bit as important as celebrating success. That realization alone can make up for years of failed pep talks from experts on how to keep resolutions. The truth is simple: we each cleared some personal hurdles this year, and fell short of some others.
So stop thinking of New Year’s resolutions as goals. Instead, regard them for what they are, roadmaps that show how far you’ve come, and how much further you have to go. If you can get past the creases, you win a chance to do it again. This time, maybe you’ll do it better.