Resolve and a Triple-Dog Dare

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“Flick’s spine stiffened; his lips curled in a defiant sneer.
There was no going back now.”

New Year’s resolutions get a bad rap.

In the comments to my last post, Stephanie mentioned that she never made New Year’s resolutions before, and Danielle decided that she’s making a to-do list instead, since resolutions “have a nasty habit of being broken”.

Up until a few days ago, I was right there too. Stupid resolutions, I thought. Just going to break them anyway. Why bother?

I think the problem is, I’ve always believed that resolutions were things we decided on, to fix the ways in which we are broken.

“I will quit smoking.”
“I will start exercising and lose 20 pounds.”
“I will get organized.”
“I will get out of debt.”

Right?

The interesting thing, is that these sorts of resolutions are born out of excess.

I eat too much. I smoke too much. I buy too much, I owe too much, and I can’t deal with it all.

Right?

Now, from Danielle and Stephanie and from others all over the blogosphere, I’m also reading statements like this:

This year I will set some goals for myself.
This year I’m excited about the resolutions I’ve set. I can’t wait to begin.

Why the change?

I think to some extent the excess has been curbed. We became aware, as a society, of the too-muchness of the American lifestyle, as it all began to come crashing down on us. The excess is being cut away for us, whether we like it or not.

But before we could clutch our 401(k) statements and shrinking savings and curl up in the fetal position in despair, we were inspired by the election of a man who ran on a platform of change. Of hope.

Over and over we heard the words.

Yes we can.

To resolve:

• To make a firm decision about.
• To cause (a person) to reach a decision.
• To decide or express by formal vote.
• To change or convert.
• To find a solution to; solve.
• To remove or dispel doubt.
• To bring to an unusually successful conclusion.
• To cause progression from dissonance to consonance.

-from The American Heritage Dictionary

Yes we can.

We can resolve to make firm decisions and find solutions. To move from discord to harmony. We can take control of our own lives.

Let’s dream big dreams for ourselves. The biggest.

I’ve read articles today that say, Keep your goals realistic. Make only a few.

I disagree. I say, Make your goals outrageous. Make as many as you can think of.

Then write them down as fast as you can, before you lose your nerve.

Every time you read that list, you should be unable to resist laughing out loud at your audacity.

Aspire to achieve.

Don’t think of resolutions as things to be broken, as a sure path to failure.

Think of them as double-dog dares. Triple-dog dares.

Dare yourself to be great.

Make resolutions so hopeful and worthy and grand that the simple act of moving toward them causes you to become a person worth becoming.

Move toward your goals and you cannot remain in one place.

Regardless of what goals you meet, what resolutions you keep, you will be a better person for the attempt.

You will read that list a year from now and you will laugh. And you will be amazed at what you did accomplish.

Imagination is everything.
It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.

-Albert Einstein

Just try it.

Come on. I triple-dog dare you.