New Year's Resolutions

Just as I've never been a big fan of New Year's, I've been even less a fan of resolutions. I understand that the start of a new year can feel like a new beginning, and it's never a bad idea to set goals for yourself. But I've never been one to do something just because I'm supposed to or because it's expected.

The last couple years, though, I have somewhat gotten on the resolution bandwagon. However, rather than simply making resolutions that will most likely fizzle out within a few weeks, I have tried to set goals that I can work toward that will improve my life. Last year my main goal was to become more positive. Believe it or not, I used to be a very negative person. After losing Henry, though, I felt that I was getting buried in the negative, and finding the positive was the only way I knew to dig my way out. Working toward that goal definitely has improved my life. And as a goal, it's one I will continue working on even as we move into another year.

This year my new goal is simpler...I want to read more. As I've said, I'm a librarian who reads very little. It's hard to promote reading to my students when I come home and plant myself in front of the TV. To (hopefully) accomplish this goal, I set myself a 2016 reading challenge. Knowing myself, I know I work much better with a challenge, which is really a to do list in disguise! Hopefully this will motivate me to read more in quantity, but also broaden what I read.

This goal-setting has helped me to feel as though I'm moving forward instead of feeling stuck in that pit of despair. It doesn't magically make everything better, but it gives me a bit of focus when everything feels out of control. It gives me something that I can be in control of, in this world where so much is out of our control. Plus, as long-term goals rather than shorter-term resolutions, I am more likely to find continued success that will hopefully lead to more permanent lifestyle changes.