That doesn't mean I don't set "goals;" I do.
Just not as "resolutions" and not necessarily at the "New Year" which begins for most (if not all?) human societies on January 1st, every year.
I think more in terms of "focus," rather than "resolution."
Like a "goal," a "focus" can change, culminate, or be discarded depending on what life presents, on circumstances outside one's control, or on whatever.
So, I currently have three (plus three more, added later) personal "focuses" for 2019:
1) Tribe
Find myself among folks with integrity, compassion, respect, empathy. Is it possible to attract this? I don't know, but I can at least be on the lookout. (The word "tribe" in the current political polarization may have an almost inflammatory connotation. I hate when words get hijacked like that. When I chose the word "tribe," the current connotation didn't even enter my mind. Too often I feel misplaced, like I don't really have a 'tribe.')
2) Biases
Figure out what to do to allow them to loosen their grip. Be aware of the hue they paint in my filter from my perch. Endeavor to change that hue; is it distorting the view? Shift my position on my perch to gain a different perspective. If needed, change perches; at least momentarily. Seek how to forgive the unforgiveable, and whether or not that is a worthwhile pursuit. All this applies especially in regard to my "hold-out" against the psychopathic personality.
3) Flash-feelings
Don't ignore and dismiss them when they glimpse themselves momentarily and immediately go back into hiding, especially the often-recurring ones. Recall, observe, identify, and examine to find out why they glimpse-and-ghost.
Find myself among folks with integrity, compassion, respect, empathy. Is it possible to attract this? I don't know, but I can at least be on the lookout. (The word "tribe" in the current political polarization may have an almost inflammatory connotation. I hate when words get hijacked like that. When I chose the word "tribe," the current connotation didn't even enter my mind. Too often I feel misplaced, like I don't really have a 'tribe.')
2) Biases
Figure out what to do to allow them to loosen their grip. Be aware of the hue they paint in my filter from my perch. Endeavor to change that hue; is it distorting the view? Shift my position on my perch to gain a different perspective. If needed, change perches; at least momentarily. Seek how to forgive the unforgiveable, and whether or not that is a worthwhile pursuit. All this applies especially in regard to my "hold-out" against the psychopathic personality.
3) Flash-feelings
Don't ignore and dismiss them when they glimpse themselves momentarily and immediately go back into hiding, especially the often-recurring ones. Recall, observe, identify, and examine to find out why they glimpse-and-ghost.
Rereading those, they sound like "goals."
And maybe they are.
But, I'm still gonna call them "focuses."
And maybe they will evolve into "resolutions."
*~*
1/15/19, added note
A few days after I posted this blog piece, as I thought over "goals" and "focuses" and "themes," it dawned on me that, maybe more importantly than the 3 "focuses" listed above are three underlying "focuses."
A few days after I posted this blog piece, as I thought over "goals" and "focuses" and "themes," it dawned on me that, maybe more importantly than the 3 "focuses" listed above are three underlying "focuses."
1) Gratitude
To have lived almost 60 years and never have gone without food except by choice; that alone is cause for gratitude.
2) Service
Before my disability, I sought to serve. Now, I hold back. I have to. If I overextend, the price is too detrimental. Then I end up needing someone to serve me. So, if I first serve myself in the sense of self-care, recognizing and accepting my current limitations, that is serving others. Consider how my choices affect others. Ask myself, "What can I do to help alleviate suffering in the world?" Recognize that begins at home.
3) Humility
This ties in with "Biases" above. Thomas Carlyle's and Ralph Waldo Emerson's statements apply here, somehow even to my "hold-outs." ~"...every man is my superior in some way; in that I learn from him."
To have lived almost 60 years and never have gone without food except by choice; that alone is cause for gratitude.
2) Service
Before my disability, I sought to serve. Now, I hold back. I have to. If I overextend, the price is too detrimental. Then I end up needing someone to serve me. So, if I first serve myself in the sense of self-care, recognizing and accepting my current limitations, that is serving others. Consider how my choices affect others. Ask myself, "What can I do to help alleviate suffering in the world?" Recognize that begins at home.
3) Humility
This ties in with "Biases" above. Thomas Carlyle's and Ralph Waldo Emerson's statements apply here, somehow even to my "hold-outs." ~"...every man is my superior in some way; in that I learn from him."
~*~
Regarding January 1st as the "New Year," I recently wrote in a poem:
Man devised a calendar numbering the days.
I think Nature's New Year would be the moment after Winter Solstice,
when Sun begins to shine longer in the day-sky,
starting the cycle anew, again.
Each year would have two different New Years,
one in the North and one in the South.
If a body had the means to live in each hemisphere,
they could begin a New Year every six months.
I think Nature's New Year would be the moment after Winter Solstice,
when Sun begins to shine longer in the day-sky,
starting the cycle anew, again.
Each year would have two different New Years,
one in the North and one in the South.
If a body had the means to live in each hemisphere,
they could begin a New Year every six months.
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