Last year, I set one single New Year’s resolution for myself: To live in the present. It was the exact same resolution I had set for 2010, too. I know this for a fact because I just went back to my blog and read both posts. I re-purposed 2010′s resolution for 2011 because it didn’t work out the first time. I was so hopeful at the beginning of 2011, but it turns out the second time didn’t go as planned, either. It seems that once again, life got in the way of my lofty goal.
Living in the present can mean different things to different people, but to me, it means enjoying and focusing on what is happening right now — this day, this week, this month. Not waiting with bated breath for the next big event that is coming next week, next month, in two months. And just to be clear, these big events aren’t necessarily fun ones. I’m talking about necessary life events like moving, a new job, school beginning, getting over a major illness, etc.
So last year, I tried really hard, but one thing after another left me waiting for the next big thing. My freelance career really took off last year, which is a huge blessing and something I love and for which I am very grateful. But that meant life got extremely busy and those other life events — illnesses, a huge move right before Christmas, putting the kids in a new school — were trickier to navigate. And that means I was anxiously awaiting their arrival and in many cases, just getting through until they were over (moving comes to mind).
So, here I am again: facing a new year with just one resolution: To live in the present. We already have a deadline of sorts hanging over our heads that has me looking to the end of February, but I am going to work very hard to make this year the year that I enjoy life as it happens instead of looking toward the next event, thereby letting the present slip away.
Hopefully for me, the third time’s a charm. I don’t want to look back on my life and think, “Why didn’t I just enjoy that period of life a little bit more?” My kids are preschoolers now. Next year, my son heads off to Kindergarten and my daughter enters her last year of preschool. Life will change even more. It’s time to love it right now. At this moment.
Do you have any New Year’s resolutions? How well do you do with keeping them?
