It’s the start of a brand new year, and that means many of us are feeling the urge to make resolutions. Resolution comes, of course from the word resolute which means admirably purposeful, determined, and unwavering. Well. I may be determined [stubborn], and on good days I can be admirably purposeful, but unwavering? HA HA HA HA HA HA HA NO.
If humans were able to make grand statements about changing their lives and made [unwavering] manifest, I wouldn’t be getting hundreds of gym and weight loss program ads right now. Also everyone would be financially successful, and our mental health professionals would be out of their jobs. Resolutions set us up for failure, and that isn’t healthy.
You know what is healthy? Goals. Goals are healthy. I read a weekly newsletter by a stand-up comedian — Chris Duffy — who is very funny, but also introspective and informative. This past week he talked about his practice of setting yearly goals, with the full expectation that they may shift, or may get rolled over to the next year, or might be eventually rejected. The flexibility of this ritual appeals to me, and I’ve been pondering ever since.
Goals came up in conversation with my lovely friend Sarah a couple of days ago. This year, she embraced the concept of small goals: bite-sized chunks of progress to be made one at a time, in the interest of forming positive habits rather than monumental changes. This idea also appealed to me and has sprouted into the structure of a plan.
My problem — and I think it’s probably not just mine — is that I’m excited about this idea right now so I want to overdo it. Dan got me a treadmill for Christmas so I can for SURE commit to 30 minutes a day on that, plus I don’t really need a glass of wine on school nights, and now is the perfect time to start a new breakfast regimen.
Look, if I pull that kind of number on myself, I’ll have abandoned it all inside of two weeks. I know me, and I know I can’t handle that kind of pressure. Imploding Susie is NOT a goal for 2025.
I headed downstairs to get on that treadmill today, and you know what? Thanks to a couple of foot surgeries, a broken toe, several illnesses, and a general ennui, I’ve lived a basically sedentary lifestyle for two whole years. I could only do 10 minutes on that treadmill.
Hey! I did 10 minutes on the treadmill! I’m going to do it tomorrow, too! I’m going to do it until 10 minutes doesn’t make me feel like I’m dying, and push it up to 15 minutes! That is my first health goal of the year, and it is manageable. Others will come in due time.
What about other kinds of goals? Two years ago, I challenged myself to write a column every week. That was a big, intense goal but it paid off. This year, I would like to work towards recording my writing as a podcast, so you are able to choose how you receive the content. I’ve been talking about this idea for bit, and it is time to make it happen.
The podcast will have to wait until March, because I achieved a goal in December: I was cast in a play. These kinds of commitments are always a challenge for our household, for I am very rarely home. I appreciate the family’s willingness to step up and encourage me to do something that brings me such incredible joy.
I raised my reading goal this year from 60 books to 65. I actually ended up reading 81 in 2024, but I have no drive anymore to hit that kind of number on purpose!
I expressed to another friend — Mikki — that I would also like to make a goal of not breaking myself this year. She asked (lovingly, I assume) why I was planning to fail? Rude. She’s lucky that she gave me an awesome new Wicked journal for Christmas, or I’d totally disown her. (Except probably not because she gives amazing advice and always answers my texts, and I’m hoping that eventually she’ll let me ride one of her horses.)
The year is bright, and fresh, and new. It has neither the sorrows nor the joys in it yet. I have dreams that we (humanity) will do a better job of caring for each other this year. My wise friend (and former/always teacher) Frieda said that she hopes that 2025 brings out the best in us. Wouldn’t that be incredible?
But as another — anonymous but astute — friend reminded me today, we also need to set a goal of remembering to pack underwear when going out of town.
Happy New Year, and thanks for reading!
Love, Susie
I think it’s great that you’re aware of what might be taking on too much. It’s a huge reason people fail. I jog seasonally and each March when I see that my week only includes two 15 minute runs and one 20 minute run I think “piece of cake”. Each March, 4-5 minutes in, I look down at the display on the treadmill and curse how much time I still have left, but by June I am not giving it much thought and have a certain confidence that I get from following through. You’ve got this Susie- sidesteps (or tripping unfortunately) can be part of the process. I hope you have as few as possible.