Amazing Grace

New Year's Resolutions. Lose weight, eat healthier, exercise more, stop smoking, find a better job, spend more time with our families, curb addictions, love our loved ones more, get a girl/boyfriend, get a life. . .and so on. They pretty much always fail, slip away whatever by the end of January. We all pretty much suck at sticking to our resolutions. This, of course, should come as a surprise to nobody; it's a fairly over-done, over-beaten topic.

I think it comes from trying to change the things we do, rather than trying to change ourselves, and we can't make fundamental changes in our lives without first changing ourselves in some way. And it's for this reason that I'm going to make no resolutions this year. No broad impossible statements about all the things I'm going to do differently this year. Rather than doing, my goal will be being. This year I'm going to pick a word, something I feel that would enhance all of life to have more of, and I'm going to spend the year working at being that word. I'd love to not be alone in this. You all, those who make them, fail at your resolutions as well. Perhaps you feel that filling yourself more with love will positively impact your life, as an example, or patience. Only you know what can more positively bolster your well-being, and maybe living the word can help you reach some of the goals you're more likely to just abandon if they're made into resolutions.

So, if you're in it with me, what's your word going to be? Mine is grace.