Happy New... Outlook

 

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.