A new year heralds the start of a new chapter, a clean slate, and a blank calendar. Acquaintances will likely ask you about your New Year’s resolution. Real friends who know better won’t even attempt to ask. Yes, we have been down this road before. How many years have passed since you and I have resolved to lose weight? Or save and earn more? Every year, the resolve to change something for the better ignites on New Year’s Eve only to peter out several hours and days later.
For 2015, let’s be more relaxed and optimistic about our resolutions for the year. Let us resolve not to resolve anything too dramatic or tiresome or expensive. Instead of resolving to lose weight, we can begin the year with a modest desire to move more. For example, rather than just typing these letters out on my keyboard, let me resolve to stretch my legs and turn my neck from time to time. There. Move more, done. What if one’s secret resolution is to be nicer to co-workers? That is easy. From the first week of January, put a smiley at the end of your office e-mails. They either notice it or don’t, or talk about it behind your back. Whatever, right? Just don’t fire someone and put a smiley for him or her to remember you by.
My sister who is a lawyer has a long to-do list that includes everything from housekeeping reminders to major work stuff. I resolve not to come up with a weekly to-do list. The problem with having such a list is that there is always that urge to add more. Somehow, a list seems to matter more based on length, rather than substance. I think what would be more interesting is to have a to-do-less list, which should include as item number 1, doing less with wanting to do a bit more unless there is an abundance of absolute pleasure and wealth at the end of that rainbow. Your to-do-less list can include reducing the number of checklists stored in your phone or notebook.
What about love? Shouldn’t any decent person resolve to love more? Well, here is my advice to men. Resolving to love your spouse more is always a good thing. Resolve to love your spouse by doubling her shopping budget and taking her to the tropical paradise of her dreams (i.e. Boracay Island, Philippines). Consider this as a wise investment. Some say that a happy wife is the key to a happy life. Shouldn’t this be the year for you to find out if this is true?
For politicians, a New Year’s resolution is just another promise left unfulfilled. They are so used to promising everything that they may not even distinguish when and to whom a promise was addressed. Politicians should therefore resolve to bite their tongue before they utter another empty promise. I imagine that to be particularly difficult, if not outright painful. Preventing a politician from making another promise would be like getting a car to run without gasoline in the tank. Scratch that. Constituents can resolve to ignore politicians who perform a medley of spectacular promises.
Resolving not to resolve anything for 2015 opens us up to all kinds of possibilities. It is the rigid nature of sticking by one’s routine that adds to the guilt of spontaneity. 2015 is here. Look for the new normal in your life. Break the mold. Life, after all, is an adventure.
