You Say You Want a Resolution

My last post got me thinking about New Year’s resolutions. There is something about turning the page on the calendar (for those who still have paper calendars) that makes me feel like I’m turning the page to a new chapter in my life. Every chapter is a story in itself, and I think maybe this chapter will be better than the last. I evaluate all the things I screwed up last year and how I can do better. It’s not original to say the new year gets me motivated. This is why New Year’s resolutions are so popular.  

I’ve read several articles about this topic over the last few weeks, and some “experts” say resolutions are bad because you are setting yourself up for failure.  I’m guessing it has something to do with the psychological effect of not achieving goals. I think part of the problem is that we try to go from zero to sixty, and we fall flat on our faces.  If you haven’t broken a sweat in 17 years, maybe it’s unrealistic to say you are going to run five miles every day as your resolution. Maybe working out three times a week is a better approach.

Last year I made the resolution to start meditating. I was going to meditate for 10 minutes every day. By the morning of January 2nd, I had failed in my resolution. My attention span is about as long as a typical Kardashian marriage, and I made it a solid 18 seconds into my initial meditation before my mind wandered off to urgent topics like what I was going to wear that day, what I was going to make for dinner that night, and what were the long term effects of the National League adopting the designated hitter rule.

Yep, I went from zero to sixty. Maybe I should’ve started with 18 seconds of meditation and that was enough for the day. And then the next day, I could shoot for 20 seconds. Or maybe I could’ve tried meditating twice a week and built from there. Instead, I just gave up on that resolution.

This year, my motivation happened to coincide with the new year, so I made a resolution.  I was going to get back to running seriously.  I was going to run 1000 miles this year and race in two half-marathons.  Don’t worry, I wasn’t going from zero to sixty.  I’ve hit that goal several times in the last twenty-three years.

I got .18 miles into my goal when I strained my hamstring.

I would like to say that I strained my hamstring because I was running so incredibly fast or because I had just finished a monster leg workout.  Nope, the only thing I did to strain my hamstring was turn 50 years old. 

Maybe the other problem with resolutions is starting too long term. I was looking at mile 1000 before I finished mile 1. I still remember my first twenty-mile run when I was training for my first marathon. We were about to group run and under my breath, I said, “I don’t know if I can run twenty miles.” Our running coach heard me and said, “Don’t run twenty miles. Do you see that bridge? Let’s just run to that bridge.” When we ran the two miles to the bridge, he said, “Now let’s run boat dock.” And we ran to the boat dock. He just kept giving me shorter goals to focus on, and before I knew it, we had run twenty miles.

I don’t have a problem with the resolution part, but the more I think about it, I have a problem with the New Year’s part. There is nothing more significant from going from December 31st to January 1st than there is from going from today to tomorrow. If I see a way I can live a better life, why wait until the beginning of a new year? 

Twenty-three years ago, I was overweight.  You could say I was in shape, but I had chosen the shape of a pear. I decided that wasn’t the shape I wanted, so I was going to start running. That was my only goal – wake up tomorrow and run before work.  And I did.  I set my alarm for 5:00 am, put on a pair of cross trainers (I didn’t even have running shoes), and bolted out the door.  I couldn’t even finish 2 miles.  It was February 15th.  I didn’t see the need to wait until next January to start running.  In fact, the next January, instead of starting to run, I ran my first marathon. 

Father time might have a different set of goals for me this year. I probably won’t hit 1000 miles this year. I have fought Father Time many times in my life, and he is undefeated. I cannot control what is going to happen for the rest of the year, but I have found that more often than not, I can control today. If I can control today, maybe I can do a little bit more tomorrow. And then at some point this year, I will look up and find myself at that figurative twenty-mile marker.

So, I’m not going to have any other New Year’s resolutions this year.  I’m going to have 5:00 am resolutions.  Every day.  

One of the articles I read said resolutions must be specific. Well, this year I want to be a better dad. That isn’t specific. So, today’s resolution is simple – “Yes.”  That’s my resolution.  I get distracted by so many things that take time away from my girls, so I’m going to fix that. When my girls ask me to play with them, I’m going to say “yes.”  Not “In a minute” or “maybe later.”  Just “yes.”   

Feel free to join me in the quest. Find some way you want to make your life better, and today we will run to that bridge together.