Birth of a Resolution

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors,
and let each new year find you a better man.
-Benjamin Franklin

January rolled in 3 days ago; and with it came the gambit of New Year's resolutions elected by innumerable persons worldwide. Pick your poison...I'm sure I've missed a few types.

• Lose weight.
• Pay off debt.
• Break that bad habit.
• Work harder.
• Reduce stress.
  
• Think smarter.
• Be better.

Ever stop and wonder from where the tradition of picking a New Year's resolution originated? Four centuries ago. Babylonians observed vernal and autumnal equinoxes and resolved to pay off debts and returned borrowed goods. Next, Roman culture adopted the tradition by resolving good behavior to a god named Janus. Janus, eh? Hmm, now we can deduce where the month of January got it's name; for you see, Janus was the god of beginnings and endings. January of course, marks the fin of one year and the commencement of the next. However, I digress. Focus, Stef, focus.

Does this give you a clue as to what my resolution for 2010 may be? Try this on for size. I have resolved to become more purposeful, intentional and internally disciplined in my approach to life. I resolve to reduce among other things; my 'Squirrel!' moments, my ellipses projects, reduce the number of distractions in my world, in hope of increasing the quality of my interactions with others. These are my tactics, my strategy is quite complex and intimate, so while this may seem vague and without much scope; that fact you see, is intentionally so.

Are you resolved? What will you do to make sure you're actually improving the quality of your life in 2010, or improving the quality of the lives of those you hold dear? Is that resolution of yours strategic and life-altering; are you committed to it? Or, is it merely a vague thought that you suppose you may get to one of these next 362 days? I challenge you to not be a member of the 35% of our population that will fore go their resolution before they even implement it.