Thursday, December 28, 2006

Why do I bother?

While wading through an old notebook today, I found a list of New Year's resolutions I made up 12 months ago. I have reason to believe they were written not long after a long phone call with someone who "needed me so much," but that's another story.

So let's see where my head was at during the waning days of 2005....

"By the end of 2006:

1. (name withheld) and I will be (deleted);

2. I will make sure (name withheld) has all the love, fun, security and respect missing in her life now;

3. I will not be working for (deleted) and (deleted), but only for honest clients who pay well and on time;

4. I will quit (deleted);

5. I will take a real vacation, and will take (deleted) with me;

6. I will quit (deleted) not the same as #4;

7. I will get a (deleted) or (deleted), and get back into my music seriously;

8. I will be debt-free;

9. I will start working on my book;

10. I will have a home, not just a roof over my head."


So, how did it turn out?

In baseball parlance, I'm batting .000, am in fact farther away from achieving any of them than I was when I wrote the list. Possibly, one lesson to be learned is that one should never make resolutions that require anyone else's cooperation. Another lesson might be to make no resolutions that have preconditions -- such as the interrelationship between #3 and #s 7, 8, 9 and 10. Forget about the connection between #s 1 and 2 and all the rest....

With that in mind, let me present my one -- and only -- resolution for 2007: I will not make any more frigging resolutions, not this year, not ever again.

Few things are more painful than missing every goal you set for yourself.

And I've experienced more than one of the "few things" this past year, too....

15 comments:

Adam M Botsford said...

I agree! Resolutions often turn out to be nothing more than pipe dreams. I believer that making the bold statement like resolvin to do someting based on a special event will enevitably fail when the event fades from memory.

Good luck with the no resolutions! Success is guaranteed :P

Anonymous said...

You bother because you matter. That's the deal on that!
lz

Anonymous said...

Your resolution could just as well have said, "I will bring a smile to others every day. I will share my wealth of knowledge with others. I will write with all the gusto I have. I will share whatever I have with anyone who needs it more than I do." If you had made that your resolution a year ago you would have been batting 1000 today. :)

Anonymous said...

I never make resloutions, they never stick. Instead for the coming year I have a few "goals" that are needful and good for me to attain.

I don't expect progress in the first few weeks, as old habits die hard, but I am hoping I can stick with them so they at least become good habits.

Anonymous said...

See, Scribs -- that's why I don't make resolutions....

Gill

John0 Juanderlust said...

Resolutions are as bad as rules and regulations. Not a thing to be courted.

Anonymous said...

I'm not making any this year, either. None of last years worked. :P

On the other hand, I agree with lowandslow. :)

Anonymous said...

Well, I read the resolutions and it was pretty obvious to me that you were writing about; Hobbes, fishing, fish and a car.
As far as breaking resolutions, I hardly think you broke your cat!
You might have broken a pole over a fishes head, which broke the fish, but I don't think you broke your car!
Happy Merry and Newie good god to ya!
Huggggggggs,
Anne of parts unknown.

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed this entry all the deletions. It was kind of like mad libs. I had the urge to fill in the names of celebrities for the people ones. Put Paris Hilton or Nicole Richey in some of them. It's more fun that way.


-Lauren

Dorrie said...

I'm with lowandslow....
your resolutions intertwined too much... if one failed, more failed.

I'm not making any... I'm letting things happen as they happen.... most we can't control ourselves anyway.

Anonymous said...

I do not make "New Year's Resolutions" - but i *do* set goals for myself.

Most of what is supposed to be fun about life is the challenge & the work towards meeting your goals. Not the triumph.

(although, i would also beg to differ with that statement i just made... because winning is a hell of a lot funner than losing/failing.)

never mind that.
i still feel it's important to make resolutions.

because SOMETIMES you WILL triumph.

"Better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all."

Whatsername again....? said...

i havent fulfilled one single new years resolution! in fact, ive gotten fatter, saved less money etc.

i did better when i just cold turkied my resolutions. cold turkey is good.

Whatsername again....? said...

this year tho...god dammit!

anyway, much love coming atcha from the UK Scribs! I know I never say it but I does!

MrScribbler said...

I loves me some Whatsername too, ya know!

Anonymous said...

I'm not making any resolutions, either! Heck, I cannot even make any plans.