Fierce Resolve

 Fierce Resolve for the New Year

As we turn the pages of time, 2024 will soon end and we will embark on the new year. For many, flipping the calendar to January signifies a new beginning. 

When I was a little girl, I would make a list of all I wanted to do in the coming year. Not particularly “Resolutions.” More along the line of “Goals,” if you will. Sometimes they were mere dreams.

I can’t even remember what any of those were, but I’m pretty sure I didn’t keep them beyond…well January. Even my “Dear Diary” efforts didn’t extend long into the new year. Not that I didn’t try. Maybe I thought my daily activities were boring. Too dull to record. I don’t know. 

I’ve always had ideas of what I wanted to accomplish. It was the lack of follow through that killed the best intentions. 

Over time, I’ve discovered the vast difference between goals and objectives. Goals are what we hope to accomplish. Objectives are the steps to get there.

As a teacher, I learned to write objectives for lessons I taught. 

They were …Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic… And they were…Time-bound. 

We called them SMART. 

"I call it being WISE."

It’s what I want to do. I want to be SMART about what I set out to do in 2025.

And the word RESOLUTION comes from the word RESOLVE.

Resolve means “A firm determination to do something.” 

A FIRM DETERMINATION. 

Not simply a goal. Not a wish. Not a dream. 

As I plan my year, I want to keep that in mind. To take on what I can manage with that same firm determination. 

What do you want to accomplish this year?

Be it learn a new language, write a book, develop a new skill, or engage in a form of self-improvement such as changing your diet or engaging in exercise…choose what you want to accomplish in 2025. And think about how you will take the task on with FIRM DETERMINATION.

Be DELIBERATE… Be FOCUSED... Be CONSISTENT

Make it your mantra. Post your goal and craft two or three SMART objectives that will get you there. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!