New Year's Resolutions

So the clock strikes 12:00 and begins, what is for some, the start of a brand new year filled with promises and opportunities. For others, it marks the end of a year they would rather forget. In any case, the sense of renewal and hope is evident. Hopefully you spend it with people you love. People who support your sometimes wild adventures or maybe ones who support your 10^th year in a row with the same resolution! How many of us have made that same resolution for most of our lives and for whatever the reason they find themselves at the end of the year without having walked down that path.

There are times, however, when we do reach our resolution or goal. For that, we should applaud ourselves for overcoming the hurdles which could have stifled our dreams. Anytime we accomplish something significant, we should reward ourselves. We should not wait for anyone else to do that as it may not happen. This also gives us the incentive to make and reach more goals.

I believe we all mean well. We all want good things - good health, financial security, nice homes and cars. We want an ideal life which somehow, when we set out in January to fashion our schedule in line with our goals, the life we seek gets replaced with the life we live. What happens when the days and months turn into yet another year of unfulfilled dreams? We want to press on and perhaps for a short time we do. I think we are so preoccupied with our many roles that our personal goals get pushed back. We are busy taking care of everyone else's needs. We may have demanding children, spouses or jobs. We may have a house that is in need of repair or a new décor. There is always the shopping we must do, the laundry, banking, etc. I often wonder why we can't seem to put ourselves up on or near the top of that list. Why are we less important than all our other responsibilities? After all, they say if we are not happy we can't make anyone else happy. This should mean that we would place a high regard on our mission, but unfortunately this is not how it usually plays out. Should we give up? Should we despair? No - of course not, there is always next year!