Resolution and Resolve

People seem to be big on New Year’s resolutions… eat better, lose weight, work out more, etc… How many people actually keep them though?

I’ve never liked New Years resolutions. I’ve only ever made one when forced by others to do so. As such, it’s easy to surmise that these did not pan out over the course of a year. They weren’t even anything particularly difficult or potentially life-altering. The only one I can even remember was something like “cook 10 new dishes over the course of the year.” Obviously, I was really stretching myself on that one. In retrospect, it’s pretty embarrassing that I couldn’t even manage that…

Granted, this was probably 2011 when my life had completely gone to hell, but it probably wouldn’t have killed me to open a cookbook (though a pretty good Thai chicken dish and a WAY too spicy chipotle fish dinner did come from that year’s effort).

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Falling is terrifying. Every time, there’s that question of whether or not it’s going to be OK. Will you deck? Will you slam back into the wall? Will you catch something on the way down? Will you have the resolve to get back on it after you fall?

For far too long, I’ve equated falling with failing. I’ve held on to what’s right in front of me for dear life. I’ve stuck to what I know, to what is comfortable, instead of putting myself out there and trying something new. I haven’t been willing to accept that falling is not failing, it’s reaching for something worth attaining. It’s letting the outcome be in doubt. It’s trusting that the person on the other end of the rope will give you a soft catch. You may not reach what you’re aiming for, but it’s worth taking the fall.

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This year, have a New Years resolution to make.

My goal this year is to fall… repeatedly.

 

 

 

 

Tags: Failing, Falling, New Years's Resolutions, Resolution, Resolve