Resolutions, or lack thereof
I don’t do resolutions. Not anymore. When I was younger I would always have one or two picked out ahead of the ball drop. But sometime within the last decade, I began to intentionally avoid them.
Most of the time the resolutions didn’t fit, or I’d tire of them a few months into the year. Usually life just got busy, which I imagine is the case for most people.
I realized that if there was something I really wanted to change about the way I lived my life, it all came down to making it a habit. And I suppose the habit you want is in a lot of ways synonymous with the resolution itself.
But, resolutions are really only the intention. The rest of it is the work you put in to making that resolution a part of your life. And the habit is the fruit born of the effort you put into making that habit a habit.
There’s a lot more resolve in that effort, right? And the moment you realize you’ve made it a habit is the time when you can really pat yourself on the back.
But you’ve got to make that space for it. A routine must be established. A motion (I’m thinking of a mental decree and actual movement. Momentum). And at a certain point you pick up speed, the training wheels come off and now you’re gliding on all that effort you put in.
Anyway, new habit
My goal is to journal everyday. This is something I was gearing up for over the holiday break. It’s right around resolution time, but this has been and felt completely separate from a New Years resolution.
I’ve endevoured to get there in the past but this time it’s different (lol). No, really.
This time the motivations are different, and the level of desire has changed. In previous attempts the motivation mostly added up to, “Well that would be nice to do, wouldn’t it?”. This time it’s feels more concrete, more like something that must happen.
My motivations are three:
- To undestand myself better
- Document my days for myself and for my kids to maybe enjoy one day.
- Improve my memory
I’m a little over a month into steady, daily journaling and it feels great!
It’s not a habit yet, but it’s made it to routine. Most days I’m writing at the end of the day, which can sometimes hinder the practice (briefer logs, fewer details, etc). But I’m trying to get better at writing througout the day to get more vivid pictures.
Carrying around a pocket-sized notebook is also part of my daily journaling. This is more to do with the goal of improving my memory. But it’s also making a big difference in helping me remember some of the smaller tid-bits that can get lost in a day full of work and childcare.
So, despite happening right around New Year’s resolution time, I have to insists this isn’t a resolution. It’s just a habit I want to have, and I’m putting in the work to get it there.