Tuesday, December 30, 2008

2008 Resolutions


For the past several years, I have attempted to lay out some New Year's resolutions, or at least define some specific hopes that I might have or set some goals to achieve for the upcoming year. As with most folks, I have had decidedly mixed results. I think that, by necessity, these types of resolutions should not be taken lightly. They are important in shaping who I want to be or where I want to be. Obviously I have thought of them to overcome some perceived deficiency, flaw, or need. It is probably not a good sign when I cannot attend to them properly, to give them enough attention to make some progress. It could be a sign of laziness, or of not having the energy to move away from the known or comfortable. Sometimes, the resolutions are not fully under my control. Sometimes they rely on help or cooperation from others. Looking back on my list of 7 resolutions from last year, I think that I had an amazing level of success, certainly much more than I did the year before. While I view my resolutions as private, I am happy to share a brief statistical analysis with you.
  • 5 resolutions were fully and satisfactorily accomplished.
  • 1 resolution is coming along nicely and will be fully accomplished over the coming months.
  • 1 resolution was a total failure as I am not sure how to make progress with it.
Looking back over the past year, how did you make out on the resolutions that you had established for yourself? A rousing, unqualified, pat-me-on-the-back success? A dismal, shameful, tail-between-your-legs failure? Somewhere in between?