Pearls&Grit

New Years is such a fascinating time. Exercise clothing and equipment hardly stay on the shelf, Facebook is flooded with good intentions, forgiveness, and motivation. The news happily telling you the science behind resolutions and why you won’t be able to stick with it this year.

There are so many different approaches to the concept of a new year. Some people want to change dramatically, others don’t want to change at all.

• There are the people who thoughtfully write and re-write pages of goals that they wish to achieve.
• There are the people who dash off a few goals that may or may not be a repeat from the year before, and the year before that, and the year before that. 
• Then there are the people who make only two goals so that when they barely accomplish one goal, they have hardly failed and feel satisfied.
• There are also the people who don’t bother making goals.

I have run the gauntlet of all those types. There have been years I have dutifully written down my pages of goals. There have been years my brain was so overloaded and bogged down, I barely realized it was New Years. There was a year I struggled with internal struggles I viewed as unsolvable, therefore I didn’t even bother, mentally scoffing at the notion that written words would somehow help.

Then there are years like this: the year that hints at big changes on the horizon, both of the dramatic and non-dramatic variety, but all a little frightening in the full spectrum. Thus, I took a spare minute and dashed off a little list. One that was not overwhelming in nature, but was relevant and encouraging. Be stronger. Be happier. Stay motivated. Take the bull by the horns.

New Years, no matter how it is approached, always affords one thing. The wonderful, sparkling hope for change. Big or small. Hope for better relationships with our loved ones and with ourselves. Hope for brighter immediate futures. Hope for brighter futures years ahead. Hope that those files shoved into the darkest corners of your mind can be solved, validated, and put to rest. Hope and belief that you can be better despite whatever else may be happening! You don’t necessarily have to make any resolutions.

Just Be Resolute.

and then give this little song a listen: