Resolutions Can Suck It
"Never give up on a dream just
Because of the time it will take to accomplish it.
The time will pass anyway."
-Earl Nightengale
Well,
it’s a new year and everyone is talking about their resolutions.
Who’s
making them?
What
they should be?
Can
I really keep them?
…Yada,
yada, yada….
Anyone
who knows me knows I don’t make resolutions. I have nothing against them,
except that I never keep mine. If I did, I’d be perpetually 25 years-old (for
real!) and able to consume mass quantities of carbohydrates without a second
thought because I actually exercised. And I’d dress better, too.
So
if you love announcing resolutions every year and struggling
to keep them, more power to you! Go right ahead and show the rest of us how
awesome you are! We’ll cheer you on the whole way there.
But
know, if you are that person, this post is not for you.
This
post for those of us with the unspoken
resolutions. The quiet ones we make without realizing and keep to
ourselves. The weaknesses we don’t talk about. The excuses, the fears, the lack
of confidence.
We all know these resolutions, don’t we? Excuses,
especially, have been a long-standing favorite of mine.
They come from the very deepest parts of us, our
dark places where we store all the crap, all the wrongs that have happened to
us or because of us. We shove them in a closet and almost forget they’re there,
until something comes up. Like this whole, “New Resolutions for the New Year!”
Then, we sit back, take out our predetermined
excuses and hold them out.
“No, I can’t do this/that because…” insert issue here.
But what if 2014 really is a different year?
What if this year happens to be YOUR moment? Or mine? What if this year is the year we have been
waiting for? The one year that you
and I were meant to toss our complaints in the trash and step out of the
shadows? To live what we dream about?
When I think about the impossible things I have seen
and felt this past year and all of the crap that I had to wade through to get
to this point in my life, it energizes me. And when I think about what is
coming in 2014 (Shameless plug: my debut
novel, Between Octobers, will be
published!), all of the things I’m looking forward to, the opportunities
that I’ve been afforded….
I am so grateful, for the good and the bad, because
you know what?
I’m still here. I am going to make it.
It’s 2014
and I wish everyone could feel my excitement. Not just for me, but for all of you,
too!
So let’s toss those resolutions that keep us in one
place. Throw out the insecurities and weight of those moments that keep us
chained. It’s time to cover up those wounds, bury the past, and forge ahead.
I’m not saying you have to, I’m just asking if you want to.
Because I sure do. I’m done getting by, surviving.
I’m ready to thrive.
I’m ready to take this bull by the horns and wrestle
it to the ground.
And when I get discouraged about the time it’s
taking to get where I want to be, I’m going to be thankful that, at least I’m
not where I used to be. And I’m going to think of the quote at the top of this
post.
“The
time will pass anyway.”
I’ve seen enough years come and go to know how very true that is. And I see no point in wasting any more of them.
So to be clear, I’m not making a resolution.
I am simply saying, don’t give up, because tomorrow
just might bring the breakthrough you’ve been waiting for.
Well, I could give you the truth...
