On New Year's Resolutions

So, it's December again. What the heck?

I was almost tempted to write that old cliché about time flying so fast. But of course, we all know that unless you travel to another part of space with a significant amount of gravitational time dilation (thank you, Interstellar), time remains the same. It is this adult life that has gotten so fast - we want to do a lot, own a lot, achieve a lot, that even humanity's longer lifespan isn't enough for us now. What am I babbling about? I don't know. Maybe I'll just talk about resolutions.

Many people have given up on making new year's resolutions complaining that they don't work anyway. The problem is that people look at it like a Christmas wish list. The key is in the word itself: resolve. People write about getting fit or learning a new skill, then spends a huge chunk of their free time watching TV marathons and playing Clash of Clans.  A familiar scenario: "New Year, New Me!" the Facebook status says on January, then does the same old shit during the rest of the year. I find that the culprit are two powerful demons of the modern age: Laziness and the Comfort Zone. I, too, fall into their traps a couple of times but I try my best to fight.

Writing resolutions has worked for me to a large degree. It is the first thing that I write on every yearly planner that I get, on that blank page just after the cover. My planner is the first thing that I look at as soon as I sit by my work station. It is my diary, magical journal, travel log, fitness tracker, personal finance ledger, sketchbook, and it also serves as an almost daily reminder of my self-promises. I guess you can say, my planner is actually some sort of a talisman.

My list primarily consists of changes in habits and skills that I want to learn or improve. I never write down any planned purchases - they're on a separate list as they tend to change a lot.

(As an example of my consumerist fickleness, one time I walked into a hardware store to buy some screws, saw a steam-powered mop, decided right there and then that I needed it in my life, bought the thing off the shelf, and as soon as my credit card was swiped, I began to wonder what the hell I just bought.)

I make sure that my resolutions are realistic, challenging enough to promote positive change, but not impossible achieve. I divide the list into two groups: things I want to let go and things I want to gain. It makes it easier to remember and, in case I need to use a little magic, easier to tell whether I should banish or invoke.

Anyway, here's a snapshot of what I had for 2014. I had to cut off some parts because they are too personal, and too melodramatic for this post. I may not have been able to get everything down to a tee, but I believe - and I feel - that I did fare better this year at trying to improve myself.

Posted in: new year, new year's resolutions, watery reflections