The Loss of Resolutions

As 2011 comes to an end and 2012 approaches, the annual question of New Year's resolutions arises. "Do you have any New Year's resolutions this year?" "Yeah, do you?"

Unfortunately, it seems that these days, the idea of a resolution has been confused with something we could more accurately describe as goals. It seems that as we cycle through the generations, the meaning of things warps and twists, and the true definition of something becomes entirely lost to the new generation. 'Resolution' seems to be the concept of the season, now that Christmas has passed, to be lost.

Lately I've been hearing and reading about resolutions being made across North America and the odd one in other parts of the world, and the more I read, the more I feel like people have no idea what a resolution is. Now, I'll admit that I haven't always cared much about resolutions. For the most part I actually felt that resolutions were a ridiculous waste of brain energy, because after the first week of the new year, no one managed to stick with their resolutions. It also seemed to me that people did not make resolutions to achieve something or to stick to, but rather just for the sake of making a resolution.

Now that I've gotten a bit older, have more time to do the things I want to do, and find myself wanting to make changes in my life, I've chosen to make a couple of resolutions. My resolutions are resolutions, not goals. I have goals, they're entirely separate from my resolutions. My resolutions include eating better, having a fitness routine, and working towards being more social. My goals include getting back into horses, going back to school (again), learning more about photography, and various other things that I'd like to do.

However, as I read other's resolutions, I've noticed that they all resemble goals... they're one time things, an outcome, rather than a year long challenge for themselves. You used to find people resolving to quit smoking, save a certain amount of money each paycheck/month, lose weight, gain weight, drink less, and the like. Now you see things like run a marathon (which could still count, but a better resolution would be train for a marathon), graduate, sell a horse, move, etc. Things that are not truly resolutions.

I feel like telling people that what they're using as their 2012 resolutions aren't resolutions, but my nature prevents me from slapping them with this reality. I may be sarcastic, minorly snarky, and a touch bitter or harsh in some of my posts here, but I really am a kind person and I haven't yet figured out how to tell someone that they have no clue what a resolution is.

Maybe I'll resolve to figure that one out too. Or is that a goal?

B.