Ah, New Years Eve. The night that thousands and thousands of people gather together across the country and around the world to anxiously countdown to midnight to celebrate the arrival of a new year. Naturally, a new year represents a fresh start and new opportunities. The ever so common "New Year's Resolutions" social media posts or physical lists describe what individuals plan to accomplish in hopes to change themselves for the better. However, as I sat and watched the ball drop in Times Square with my family, and raised a glass in acknowledgment to a new year and farewell to the past...I realized that I didn't want to set a resolutions list for myself.
I know I am not perfect. No one is. So why didn't I make a list of "resolutions" for the New Year?
Honestly, I know that there are some things that I know I should stop doing...using profanity, drinking sweet tea, eating sweets, etc. Those could have easily made my personal list. Who's to say that I can't prevent myself from doing any of the above? The truth is I don't believe in the idea of completely changing or depriving myself of anything at the beginning of a new year. Instead, I choose to take what I've learned this past year and build on it. Not change it completely, but perhaps some simple "tweaking" could justify itself as a resolution. Not following me? Let's use an example.
When learning to ride a bike, you start from square one...right? Training wheels are placed on the back frame of the bicycle until you learn how to steer and operate the pedals to propel yourself forward. Once you have mastered that, you advance to the next level and remove the training wheels. However, learning to maintain the balance of the bike and using the brakes can be a slow process. I know that when I was learning, I fell over and over and over again. Despite how many times I fell and scraped my knees, my elbows, or even crashed my bike into the mailbox...I shook it off and tried again. I learned from the mistakes, improved on them, and eventually rode my bike all the way around my neighborhood without a single accident. Hence, the resolution.
My point? I didn't completely change the way I learned to ride my bike. Instead, I did some simple "tweaking" and figured out what worked and what didn't.
In my personal opinion, I don't WANT to change what I've done in the past. The things I've experienced, the memories I've made, and the people I've met all make me the person that I am today. I'm sure that eventually, I will make a list again and I've definitely made one before. As we get into 2018, instead of changing myself - I plan to do some "tweaking" and roll with the punches as they come. If I fall, I'll dust my knees, elbows, maybe even my ego and press forward. I'll take my training wheels off, and ride into the unknown with my family, friends, and faith.
Bring it on, 2018. I don't know what your future holds...but I can't wait to find out.