Thank you for that issue. I must say... that I have not made (and thereby, never kept) any new year resolutions for many many years (maybe for about 75 years, when I was 7 and realized I didn't have time to even think about them. I think that is one of my reasons for not making them. There are too many other interesting things to do.
A side note..maybe unrelated: I have almost never approached any academic action (and other life-actions) as a 'single author'. (Something that can make tenure achievement more difficult.) And the reason I didn't was that I didn't really learn much from myself. I loved working with co-authors, especially those from different disciplinary backgrounds than mine! I learned to much! So a big thank you to all who have allowed me to be your co-author!
But back to resolutions. I think that not only didn't I have time to make them, but I also must have been basically satisfied with myself. Seems egotistical to say that, but that's how I remember it. And I still feel that way. Yes, I can always improve myself and I do know my limitations, or at least am reminded of them when I forget :-), but I'm 'OK with myself'. And feel lucky to feel that. Or maybe, I'm just too busy......And too thankful for all you others who have 'co-authored' my life over these many years, and still let me be myself. Bless you all!
New Year’s resolutions remind me of the many times I tried to quit smoking. One year my resolution was to quit quitting. I would smoke and enjoy it and not worry about stopping. About six months later the right time came. I walked away from smoking cigarettes after ten years and never had the urge to smoke again. Something about the artificial start date of January first makes any resolution seem less commitment worthy.
Enjoyed this and it got me thinking: to change things just to change isn't good enough. If something is "wrong" (like a health issue) then that sort of change is definitely worth amending. Growing older I was perplexed by dietary things until I made subtle changes that made me feel better. What motivated me was feeling bad. I didn't want that, so had to change. May not work for everyone but did for me: so keep experimenting. Thanks Rosana for a great post. Best, Mike
More love: that one's easy to keep! <3
If new year resolutions were binding contracts (with the self), the practice would die off soon enough.
Thank you for that issue. I must say... that I have not made (and thereby, never kept) any new year resolutions for many many years (maybe for about 75 years, when I was 7 and realized I didn't have time to even think about them. I think that is one of my reasons for not making them. There are too many other interesting things to do.
A side note..maybe unrelated: I have almost never approached any academic action (and other life-actions) as a 'single author'. (Something that can make tenure achievement more difficult.) And the reason I didn't was that I didn't really learn much from myself. I loved working with co-authors, especially those from different disciplinary backgrounds than mine! I learned to much! So a big thank you to all who have allowed me to be your co-author!
But back to resolutions. I think that not only didn't I have time to make them, but I also must have been basically satisfied with myself. Seems egotistical to say that, but that's how I remember it. And I still feel that way. Yes, I can always improve myself and I do know my limitations, or at least am reminded of them when I forget :-), but I'm 'OK with myself'. And feel lucky to feel that. Or maybe, I'm just too busy......And too thankful for all you others who have 'co-authored' my life over these many years, and still let me be myself. Bless you all!
I DO know what you mean!
New Year’s resolutions remind me of the many times I tried to quit smoking. One year my resolution was to quit quitting. I would smoke and enjoy it and not worry about stopping. About six months later the right time came. I walked away from smoking cigarettes after ten years and never had the urge to smoke again. Something about the artificial start date of January first makes any resolution seem less commitment worthy.
Enjoyed this and it got me thinking: to change things just to change isn't good enough. If something is "wrong" (like a health issue) then that sort of change is definitely worth amending. Growing older I was perplexed by dietary things until I made subtle changes that made me feel better. What motivated me was feeling bad. I didn't want that, so had to change. May not work for everyone but did for me: so keep experimenting. Thanks Rosana for a great post. Best, Mike