To New Beginnings

I always give myself resolutions for the New Year, and I never stick to them.  If I had, I’d probably be slim, rich, a well-known author of twenty published novels, have three or four degrees and numerous certifications, etc.  Yeah, maybe I’m giving myself too much to do.  Instead of reaching for all the stars, maybe I should be reaching for just one.  Or maybe I shouldn’t be reaching for the stars at all.  Maybe I should be reaching for the entire galaxy.

My problem is that I can’t decide on just one area I need to improve.  I know that if I really focused on just one thing, like my writing for example, I could pound out two or three books in a year.  But darnnit if life doesn’t get in the way, and then I’m spending time exercising or reading up on news or tinkering with a new gadget or wondrous piece of technology and my books sit on my digital shelf gathering digital dust.  And the next thing I know, my resolution is lost or at the very least muddled, and then I’m scrambling to get it back on track, and then by June or July I’ve given up on it entirely.

This year I think I’m going to simply focus on being a better person.  I know it may sound like a bit of a cop out, but hear me out.  Rather than just focusing on every little goal, I’m going to set one big umbrella-like goal for myself: improve on the person I’ve become.

How should I go about doing that?  Well, I’d already say I’m a pretty good father, but in a few weeks I’ll be a father twice over when we welcome our second son to the world.  Will I be as successful raising two boys as I have so far raising one?  Challenges await me, I’m well aware, but that’s one area of how I intend to become a better person.

Will I lose a bunch of weight?  Hopefully, but that’s not really what I’m focusing on.  Eating healthier, being more active, drinking more water, etc.—all of these things will contribute to weight loss, and if I’m better at all of them, I should see a difference.

What about my writing?  Well, I’ve realized over the past year with my blog and my novels that I tend to write too much.  I write and write and write and then spend eons rewriting and editing.  Look at some of my previous blog posts, and you can only imagine the time I spent on them.  So don’t be surprised if these posts become much shorter.

I think it’s a good resolution.  Be a better person.  No more crankiness when I’m sick or driving or stressed.  Just be a better person.  Hopefully this one will last.  Hopefully.