My End of Year Resolution

~ Resolutions are easy to make but challenging to execute. Instead, make a decision. A decision is like taking one small step ~ talkswitheve

I have decided to go a different route this year. My end of year resolution is to not make a new year resolution. You see, in December 2019, I had some grand thoughts of things I wanted to accomplish in 2020.

Then came COVID-19, a pandemic no one saw coming. Nor did we realize how bad it would be, the devastation it would bring, and how long it would last. One entire year – and still going!

Our lives remain uncertain as we are not able to move around freely, to which we had become accustomed. The holiday season was not filled with its usual cheer. Due to social distancing, we could not get together and be with our families.

So why did I choose to make this decision?

Choice vs decision

I know, choice vs decision may seem confusing. However, although the words are interchangeable in their use, they do not have the same meaning. To make a decision, you must first have identified the place of choice.

In my case, my choice is based on all the events during and preceding the coronavirus pandemic. After completing college in March 2019, the next step was to earn income and I wanted to be my own boss. Starting with thoughts of grandeur, I began to lay the foundation for entrepreneurship.

Having worked most of my adult life as an employee, I knew there would probably be a steep learning curve. My desire was to explore and find my own special niche as fitting in is not an option for me. I was prepared for the long haul to determine and define the service I would provide.

So, I was finally getting some traction as December 2019 approached. Hence my sunny outlook on December 31, 2019. Thus, for me, the year 2020 began with great expectations and I was busy refining my processes and business practices.

Then came March 11, 2020, the day the World Health Organization declared the novel COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic. My fledgling business took a nosedive and disintegrated – totally tanked! The coronavirus pandemic has been relentless in its decimation of lives and income and after such an unprecedented year, I’m cautiously optimistic for 2021. This all led me to the decision I made.

My end of year resolution

My end of year resolution is the decision I have made not only for 2021 but for all future years. Resolutions I have made in the past have never been realized. I know it’s the same for many of you and there can be many reasons for our failures.

Upon reflection, however, I understand and accept the reason for my failure – too great an expectation and I was not prepared to meet the goals I had set. The goals are the same every year – improve my health through proper nutrition and add an exercise program.

Why have I never succeeded? That’s because it’s not really what I want. It’s what I feel is expected by others – at least in my mind. Am I the only one that spends a lot of time in my head?

So after the year we have had, where we have had to make adjustments as we have never done before, I learned a great lesson. Life during the coronavirus pandemic revealed just how much I was living life unconsciously. Having to keep adjusting to the new way of life meant I had to be intentional in my choices.

Now, after transforming to conscious living, I am more aware of everything I do and its impact on my life – current and future. No longer am I just going through the mundane routine of life from sunup to sundown.

I am taking the lesson learned in 2020 and I will not, nor will I ever, make another new year resolution. Instead, I will look back over and reflect on the year that is ending, and take that lesson with me into the new year.