On Resolutions

I really love the New Year. Maybe that's part of being born on New Year's Day, but I also really like making goals and completing them. Sterling W. Sill suggested that the New Year is a time for us to put into action the things we have contemplated and learned through the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. He said, "This is a time when we make New Year’s resolutions. This is the time when we could make some determinations about the things that we have been thinking about during Christmas." Perhaps this is one more reason I like the New Year so much. After celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas, I am ready to start anew and reset my focus on the things that matter most.

Over the years I've made a lot of New Year's resolutions in various formats. I've failed at many, but I've also succeeded at many, which is why I continue to make them. I've also learned, through the trial and error of making resolutions, how to make goals that really work for me, so I'm to a point now where I usually complete my resolutions.

Howard W. Hunter said, "This is a gospel of repentance, and we need to be repenting and resolving. Indeed, the process of repenting, making commitments, and setting goals should be a continuous one, so there is nothing wrong with using this traditional time of the year to evaluate the past and plan the future... The practice of reviewing the past and setting new directions for the future is a very healthy one, a scripturally encouraging one, in which we can beneficially alter our lives. I commend the practice to you, especially if it is thoughtfully pursued and the resolutions made are made in righteousness, bringing behaviors and attitudes that truly bless your lives and the lives of others" (read the whole talk. I love it!) 

I've been brainstorming my resolutions for 2016* since September. I'm that excited! For the past couple of weeks, I've been trying to narrow down my goals according to the S.M.A.R.T. criteria (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely). I've also been contemplating my life's circumstances with all seriousness. I am in school. I have four kids. I need to remember what season of life I'm in and make resolutions that fit my season.

I'm excited to get my resolutions narrowed down and determine my focus for the coming year. This is the time of year when I have a hard time containing my enthusiasm, so you'll probably see a few more New Year-related posts over the next week. Bear with me. It's my birthday.

*This year, I didn't feel like I could handle any big goals, so my resolution for 2015 was simply, "Have a baby!" (since I was already pregnant, I set myself up for success!) Part of learning how to make resolutions is knowing when to not make resolutions.