Always Forward, Never Back

"Always forward, never back" - Blessed Junipero Serra

It is a week into the new year---so how are all those resolutions coming? Over the years, I haven't been very good about keeping resolutions, except for the years when I've resolved NOT to make any resolutions. Last year, I finally wised-up and was able to achieve three out of four resolutions. What was my secret? Well, first off, none of them included weight loss. Secondly, they were simple and quantifiable, so it was easy to tell if I was successful or not. Thirdly, I was really easy on my self. In my opinion, the point of resolutions is to move toward self-improvement. And in my book, any improvement is cause for celebration.

For example, one of my resolutions was to write in my journal at least once a week. Not feeling pressured to write everyday made it very doable. When more than a week would go by without an entry, I would just pick up and move foward with an entry anyway. Is this cheating? Maybe so. Maybe my resolution became "try to write in your journal at least once a month." But I felt it was OK to renegotiate the terms. Do you know why? Because I found myself writing in my journal all year long--and happily so. No guilt. No regrets. Just moving forwards with new entries when I was able to get to it.

Here's what I know. We live in a world of instant results and information overload. It can be tempting to view resolutions in black and white and say to ourselves..."well, I really blew that one--so I'll just let it go." That is an option--but I prefer the courage of continuing to move forward with imperfect resolutions that can be re-imagined every day.

The one resolution of 2012 that I didn't achieve? It has become my new resolution for 2013: to participate in a 5-K run. Hey, hope springs eternal! Thanks for taking the time to read this and happy marching forth!!