Happy New Year! Did any of you make a New Year’s resolution? I did — in fact, I made several.
One was less procrastination. (Including getting my blogs out in a timely manner.)
Given that we’re nearing February, can we consider this a very early blog about 2021 New Year’s resolutions?
Not buying it? Me neither. Apparently I am still a work in progress.
Sometimes I wonder if my New Year’s resolution should be “No more New Year’s resolutions.” Or maybe I just need to take more of Dr. Graham’s tips on resolutions, since mine never seem to stick.
What is behind a resolution, anyway? Why do any of us strive for self-improvement?
- To be more happy?
- To feel better about ourselves?
- Or is it to feel more worthy?
If those are the reasons, then what happens to the above questions when we fall short of our goals? Are we less worthy? More miserable?
I certainly don’t feel more motivated when that kind of thinking happens.
My belief is that resolutions are not about proving to myself that I am worthy. Because I am worthy, warts and all.
In fact all of us are already worthy and whole, despite some of our deficits and lapses in self-care.
And because of that, we are deserving of some of these intentions we have set for ourselves.
So every day you fall short of your intentions, remember that nothing is really lost. You don’t have to throw in the towel, or wait until next year, or next month, or next week even. You are still just as deserving of the kind of care that you want to give yourself, even though this care is difficult at times.
I had good intentions on making a resolution this year, and I still do. That counts for something! And it helps me remind myself that there is some wiggle room between being perfect and completely giving up.
Hope to see you on the trails,
Dr. Jeff Blixt