No, that wasn’t a typo. I meant you and not year, because to me the New Year is all about a New You. I’ve always loved the idea of reinventing yourself. As a kid that special time for reinvention was always over the summer break, which gave me enough time to prepare the debut of my newly reinvented self at the beginning of the school year in the Fall. As I matured and my school days were put behind me, New Year's Eve took on a whole new level of significance for me as a time when adults reinvent themselves in preparation for the upcoming new year. During the final weeks of December after the Christmas cards have all been signed and sent and I’ve scratched everyone off my Christmas list, I begin a period of reflection where I examine the past year…my triumphs and my failures…areas where I succeeded beyond my wildest imagination and others where I fell flat on my face. It is with this knowledge that I make a list of goals for the upcoming year. I don’t call them resolutions because that term rings so empty to me. It speaks of lofty, unattainable ideals that are committed to only for a brief period of time before the euphoria of the new year wears off somewhere around week three. I’m not saying this is the true meaning of the word resolution, but rather how the meaning has been cheapened in popular culture.
As I look at my growing list of life goals from one year to the next, I’m amazed at how they seem to naturally build on and evolve from one another. For example, one of my goals for 2010 was to eat more fruits and vegetables, which led me to search out farmer’s markets and fruit stands far and wide. And though I didn’t always live up to this ideal, I significantly improved on my fruit and veggie intake from 2009 to 2010. Now, for 2011 the goal is to increase the amount of locally grown organic produce I eat...so all that research for my goal last year came in handy! And if I can keep on doing this then each year will be about capitalizing on previous improvements and expanding their impact…which leads to yet another goal….supporting and encouraging my fiancé in the pursuit of his goals. This makes our friendship stronger, our romance deeper, and our home a happier, healthier place for our future children (and our current four legged child, Conner). Who doesn’t want a happier home, right? Sure, we can all make a New Year's resolution to have one, but actually getting there takes much smaller baby steps, which in the long run are easier to commit to. You know...how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! So here’s to you and the new you that you aspire to become in 2011. May this year be filled with blessings and joy!
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