Since I first knew what New Year’s resolutions were, I have diligently written down a long list of items that I’ve wanted to accomplish in the promise of a new year. Goals that I hadn’t voiced aloud in the previous year were written down on paper with a hope that the momentum of a fresh, blank page could make them materialize easier.
Amazingly, each year I’ve managed to accomplish several goals on my list. With satisfaction, I ticked these items off one by one, only to move on to the next item. But the next new year brings a fresh list of goals, and some that are carried over because time slipped by and they fell away with the passing months.
In a year that has brought many changes, for the first time since I was a teenager, writing down my resolutions has been difficult. I find myself disillusioned with unending goals; goals that only give me a moment of gratification before I move onto that next mountain I must climb. The happiness and satisfaction of an accomplishment has escaped me. This year I search not for accomplishment but for happiness, and the goals are obviously not bringing that elusive emotion to me.
So this year I’m doing things differently. A few months ago I began compiling a list of things I wanted to try that I’ve never allowed myself for various reasons to attempt. The final result is a list of thirty three experiences, one for each year of my life, which I want to discover a little bit of happiness from. Not too long ago I read that happiness comes by living in the moment, and that’s what I want. Thirty-three moments of authentic happiness to remind myself that a happy life exists in stringing together these moments, and not by dwelling on what could have been done differently.
Of course, I will write about each of these experiences as the year progresses, so I think I’ll keep the list a surprise for as the year unfolds. Can you think of an experience you’d want to have during this wonderful and promising year?
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