New Year Resolutions

It’s New Year’s Eve and once again it’s time to look back on the past year to see what went well, not so well, and didn’t happen at all.  It’s also a time to look toward the new year and the fresh start that is only hours away. We all have been tricked into thinking that the new year brings a blank slate as if the changing date on the calendar somehow enhances our ability to become the people we want to be. Truth be told, the are no special properties that make Jan. 1 different from any other day but that doesn’t stop millions around the world from treating it as if those magical properties do indeed exist.

In the past, the trendiness of making New Year Resolutions has always turned me off to the idea. The thought of millions of people who lack the willpower to make a life change on their own coming together in a collective effort of grand deception, promising themselves that this time will be better only to realize three weeks later that they are right back in the same ruts which they had just emerged from mere days earlier, leaves a sick feeling in my stomach.  The desire to be independent coupled with the pride of wanting to be able to take full credit for any future accomplishments because, “I did it on my time, my terms, my way” has always stopped me from making New Year Resolutions.  But that is the past and this year is different. Over the last year or two I have come to realize that I no longer possess the discipline needed to make the changes I want to on my own so this year I’ve decided to get over myself and actually give the New Year Resolution idea a try.

There are a number of things I would like to change in 2010 but most of them revolve around around one simple principal: discipline.  For 2010 I would like to learn to be disciplined in all aspects of my life.  This is much easier said than done but if I am successful many of the areas of my life that I would like to improve on will fall into place.  There are 3 primary areas where I would like to focus my quest for personal discipline: family life, spiritual life, and personal health.  In the area of family life I want to organize our family’s nightly routine and household duties, luckily Kari and I have already been talking about this and we seem to be on the same page.  In the area of spiritual life I really want to diligently complete a 1-year reading plan that goes through the whole bible.  Luckily the folks over at YouVersion (a free online/mobile device bible reading platform) have put together over 20 different bible reading plans with various levels of commitment.  I’m particularly interested in the chronological reading plan.  Finally, in order to develop discipline in my personal health I wanted to undertake something that was so difficult that I would need to develop strict discipline just to complete it.  So on November 7, 2010 I will be running the the 3rd running of the Two Cities Marathon.  I know that it won’t be easy and I’m not sure exactly how I’ll get it done but I’m excited to find out.  I’m sure that I’ll be posting many times about it in the coming months.  Well we are about to head out to our New Year’s Eve party so let me leave you best wishes for the new year and may you have success with those resolutions!