Resolutions and Revelations

We’ve whittled another year down to its final hours. And as we prepare to ring in the new year, it is that time when some of us might be pulling out the legal pad and jotting down some New Year’s Resolutions.

My resolutions typically center around two things. Reading more books and exercising more. While I did exercise and read more this past year, I didn’t meet the goal I had set at the beginning of the year (35 books and at least 1 workout every week). Yet even when I miss my resolutions, I can still find some revelations from this past year.

My resolutions, unsurprisingly, are things that I think will further my recovery goals. Coming up short means that I was once again too ambitious in my goal setting, and I should adjust them as I prepare 2023’s resolutions.

Because whether you call them New Year’s Resolutions, recovery goals, benchmarks, whatever, the fact is that they are only helpful for you if they are realistic. If I set a goal of running a marathon next month then I am setting myself up for failure because I’m not going to be going from running 3 miles once a week to running 26. And too often too many of us shut down when we miss the mark, when our resolutions are left unresolved.

Yet as we wind down 2022 and look ahead, I want to share my biggest revelation, something that I am still working on, which is that failure is a part of growth. It is how I keep myself grounded, keep my goals realistic, and most importantly keep myself moving forward. Resolutions can be useful, but they are even more beneficial when you learn from the revelations afterwards. And if that is something you are seeking to do in 2023, know that we are here to help.