A New Year’s Unresolution

A lot can happen in a year.

I can attest to this because once, in a twelve month period, I got married, broke up with my husband and went back to school – five hours away. Another time, within a six month period, I gave birth to a child and buried three people I loved dearly. So, suffice it to say that a lot can – and does – happen within a year. This happens to be the reason why I don’t declare a New Year’s Resolution every December 31.

I don’t even know where I want to be in 12 months, much less know exactly what I want to accomplish. As a 27-year-old single mum, my life is a bit of a roller coaster. In October, I accepted a new job in a new province – something I never saw myself doing. I also never saw myself working for a tech start up, but there you have it. I’m 3 months into my third job in 2014 – something I definitely had never planned on, but opportunity just kept on knocking.

I’m a firm believer that life is about surprising myself and I don’t want to pigeon-hole myself into Goal XYZ for 12 months.

Plus, I believe that most of the big, fabulous 12-month long New Year’s Resolutions are actually huge lifestyle changes – not something to simply dive into without proper planning. And, if you are wanting to make a big lifestyle change and you’re prepared, I think it’s silly to wait until January 1 to start. If I want to start leading a healthier lifestyle, I’ll do it on Wednesday, March 19, 2015 because any day is a great day to work towards bettering yourself.

But, none of this is to say that I don’t have goals for myself. 

I have many goals for myself. They’re small goals, mostly, and I don’t like to marry myself to a timeline unless it’s necessary. I have many things that I’d like to accomplish in 2015, but I won’t be resolving to be more organized or lose 15 pounds because what I feel and want right this second could be very different in one month. In fact, I’m sure they will be. I could profess that I’m resolving to be more present and a better person in 2015, but the reality is that’s something I am always working towards. Calling it my New Year’s Resolution would really be cheating.

Now, all of this said I’ve got to say that the whole New Year’s Resolution thing has just never worked for me… but then, neither did marriage and I’d probably get married again. At this time in my life, though, I feel no need to set a New Year’s Resolution. I just want to make it through 2015 mostly unscathed and hopefully with a job, my car and a roof over my head. If New Year’s Resolutions are your thing, I’d love to hear about it! Tell me your New Year’s Resolution, or share your thoughts on this annual “tradition”. Maybe you’ll convince me to set a mid-February resolution.

Here’s to a safe and happy New Year, filled with love, smile and new adventures! XO