Generally we start reading last year's goals; what we thought we would accomplish, check off those things we did. Sharing is optional. No pressure. It is a mini time capsule. I have collected the letters to ourselves and store them. It is fun for my daughter to see how her goals have changed, her handwriting has changed, and what she has accomplished. The same for us as parents.
The goal is to not lament what was not done, but celebrate what we did. In the beginning the goals were repetitious and expected, like lose 20 pounds, travel more, family time. But then we realized these are not measurable and enduring. So we started becoming more focused and deliberate. If weight was the issue, it was entitled improved health and with a specific goal like eating two extra vegetables a week or becoming proficient on fixing two specific healthy dishes by a certain date. I have found that this helped increase my cooking skills, teach my daughter healthy eating habits and it would replace an undesirable tendency.
"Travel more" evolved into specific plans, such as listing desirable locations for family vacations. This actually resulted in us making the time to plan and travel for vacations. Sounds small and simple, but in truth we were not making vacation plans, we would just take short trips, usually for family events and not in the form of a true vacation. 2013 resulted in one of the best vacations we ever did. Needless to say, we are already forming plans for this year.
Even though the goal may be singular in its written form (I will...), we have found over time that the goals we set have expanded into our daily routines, creating support and enthusiasm. My husband has set goals of painting a set number of pictures in the course of the year. When his artistic bug bites, it gets the rest of us in an imaginative mood. Before you know it, the table is covered in paint brushes, water cups, acrylic paints, and a number of other artistic mediums. And dinner is delayed for a worthy afternoon spent in creative musings.
I have set specific goals of reading so many books within the year. I have in the past few years over achieved this goal, simply because when I set time to read, so does my husband. Then we talk about what we have read, enriching our conversations. I have read the assigned summer reading my daughter has for classes. We have had many enjoyable conversations and, in my case, a return to a classic story read long ago and happily reuniting with characters of interest.
So while the year may have sped by in seemingly micro-seconds, the reflection on December 31 is with warmth and reward for 365 days well spent. The traditional resolutions have emerged into action and anticipation and results. Here is to a Happy 2014 to you.
