Between Christmas and New Year’s Day resolutions seem to be on many minds. For more years than I care to reveal, my chief New Year’s Resolution was to begin a diet and fitness routine. If success could be measured in adhering to the semantics alone I would be able to say I was successful because every year I would “begin” anew. My failure was in not continuing. That’s one reason why I no longer make resolutions. Setting myself up for failure isn’t good for morale.
I’m getting smarter. Instead of resolving to do something that is very likely beyond the boundaries of my reality, I make a list of things I intend to do. Intentions involve more commitment than a wish or desire, but don’t involve a self-inflicted promise. So if I don’t manage to achieve everything I intend, the disappointment won’t be too demoralizing.
Intentions can start me moving towards a goal in ways that resolutions never can. So I’m beginning to compile a new list of them for the coming year. Mostly they involve writing goals. The list will nudge me to push past recent procrastinations and refocus on what’s important to me at this stage in the process towards publication. After I complete the list perhaps I’ll share it with you… or not. At the moment I don’t want to be inhibited by worries of what others might think of my intentions. I’ll leave the “after” until after and see how I feel about it then.
What about you? Do you make resolutions and, if so, do they work for you or do they result in frustrating failure year after year? How do you deal with it?
MUSINGS 
I used to, now I’m in the same frame of mind as you are: I hesitate to set limits I can’t reach. I’m going to start by listing things I really really need to do. Like promise myself I will do a small book tour in BC, instead of talking myself out of it. I’m also going to find a solution to this melancholy.
They sound like worthwhile “intentions”. 🙂 I imagine the latter is a challenge, but “all things are possible”. Sometimes you have to ask for help and that’s okay. Nobody said we had to struggle unaided towards our goals.