Coffee and Contemplation: What Does the New Year Hold?

This is not a post about resolutions or any “new year, new me” nonsense. I prefer setting goals rather than resolutions. Goals are easier to attain and they are more flexible with the uncertainty of life. Goals can be adjusted and revised. There’s less pressure to achieve a goal as long as you’re working towards that goal. The accomplishment is still there. This is why people don’t follow through with resolutions. There’s too much pressure to sustain that resolution for the entire year. Making short-term achievable goals is more realistic than resolutions.

Many people try going to the gym for a new year’s resolution. After a few weeks, they stop going. I suggest you set a goal to eat healthier food and try to be more active. These goals are easier to achieve and you don’t have to focus on these things every single day. Goals are intended to start out small and gradually build. Maybe one year, going to the gym three times a week will be an achievable goal. But first you have to get yourself to that point. You can’t jump to the finish line. Life is never that easy.

I have a few goals of my own. These are things I’ve been working on over that past year and plan to continue. I’m saving money to one day get a down payment for my own house. It’ll be a couple years before I have enough saved so this is more of a long-term goal. I also plan to finish my novel this coming year. I have about 15 chapters left to write. That might seem like a lot, but I have 33 chapters finished. I’ve finished the majority making the finish more attainable. Those are just a couple of small things I’m preparing for the new year. What goals have you made? What does the new year hold for you?

Could Haves/Should Haves Day

Today, the third Saturday in July, is Toss Away the Could Haves/Should Haves Day. It means don’t go through life with regrets. Dr. Martha J. Ross-Rodgers, author and motivational speaker, created this day to help people let go of the past and live in the present. It begins with getting a piece of paper and writing down your “could haves” and your “should haves” in separate columns. Next, throw out the paper and make a resolution.

“From this day forward, I choose not to live in the past. The past is history that I cannot change. I can do something about the present; I choose to live in the present.”

Living in the past can do more harm than good. I’ve battled depression and my thoughts often filtered back to using past events as an excuse to give up or not even try. Letting go of those things is liberating. There are still things I regret and wish I could have done differently, but I don’t dwell on them or let them affect my judgement. Life can be an exciting adventure if you allow yourself to enjoy it. But you must live in the present. I’ll end today’s post with a quote from Lao Tzu.

“If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present.”

~ Lao Tzu