Isn’t funny how once a year everyone gets together and decides how they’re going to change their lives? I’m as guilty as the next person when it comes to setting outrageous and completely unattainable goals. Today I’m asking myself why?
I think it’s a good thing to contemplate the new year. I also think it’s wonderful to consider how you can do things better than the way you’ve done them in the year past. I think the mistake everyone makes, including me, is thinking that we have to accomplish these goals within the first few months of the year and if we haven’t, then we’ve somehow failed.
I’m not even going to get into how most resolutions are completely unattainable. Let’s just go with the pretense of all things are possible. With that in mind, why in the world do we give ourselves limited time to accomplish them? Rome wasn’t built in a day.
I know I’m rambling here a bit, but the reason I mention this fact is while attending my local romance writer’s meeting last month we discussed the whole yearly goal thing. It was funny, but after several were read aloud we realized most were not doable goals. For example, making the New York Times Bestseller’s list. An admirable thing to stride for, but it can’t be a goal because you have no control over whether or not your book makes the list. The only thing you can control is the quality of your writing. So therefore it cannot be a goal/resolution.
How many years do we have to make the same resolutions before we realize it’s only setting us up for failure? I say the best we can do is work toward making our lives, our careers, our relationships better. And then let life do the rest. Peace.
January 2nd, 2004
