Thursday, December 31, 2009


When our world officially admits it’s another year older, lots of people come up with resolutions.

“I resolve to lose 90 pounds.”

“I resolve to quit smoking (I quit years ago)once and for all.”

“I resolve to win the lottery.”

Considering how many resolutions are upended by the consumption of an entire bag of Doritos in one sitting or how many gyms look like ghost towns on March 1st, it’s amazing that we go through the trouble of of making them in the first place.

Indeed, the mandate that we should all come up with some sort of New Year’s Resolution is a rule that does'nt exist.

Resolutions are good in theory, but they set people up for failure. Changing habits is hard, and the first stumbling block usually creates a wall of disappointment and shame that reinforces the negative pictures you had going into it.

I guess I’m just too lazy. Too fat. Too whatever.

Don’t get me wrong. Changing bad habits and setting goals are important. And anything worthwhile will be met with obstacles, which will need to be overcome by persistence and hard work. I just don’t think resolutions are the way to go about it.

The arrival of a new year fills me with optimism. Rather than saddle myself with a resolution that is likely to snuff it out in less than a week, I like the idea of embracing something that fuels the optimism and serves as a guide that will help me all year long. Which is why I love the idea of coming up with a word of the year. FREEDOM!



  • Freedom from debt.

  • Freedom from having to eat so much at one sitting (this is a big one).

  • Freedom from having to go buy everything techno that is new.
Some Words for you to think about for 2010 are;
Compassion
Delight
Generosity
Effortlessness
Wealth
Gratitude
Abundance
Creativity
Willingness
Change
Growth
Mastery
Kindness
Health
Presence
Acceptance
Courage
I look forward to letting go of some things that have been holding me back and unloading unimportant possessions. I’m looking forward to achieving freedom from some fear and worry that has plagued me this past year, as well as experiencing the freedom I get while exercising on the treadmill and riding my bicycle. I will enjoy my Lord more, enjoy my wife more, and enjoy family more.

How about you? What do you think about this idea? Do you have a word that comes to mind for you?

No comments:

Post a Comment