A Reflection on Failing A New Year’s Resolution.
2019.12.30
Once again, It’s that time of year when many of us set New Year's resolutions for the upcoming year. Many of the resolutions or goals we set out to achieve are about improving ourselves or our lives in some sort of way. We often start out enthusiastic and committed but not long after the holidays that left us refreshed, we can lose that spirit as life, work, and responsibilities get in our way.
It is at this point that many of us give up and abandon our ambitions. We can become disappointed by our perceived lack of willpower to achieve our dreams, and we are not as kind to ourselves as we ought to be. We need to remember that it is ok to fail. In our moments of failing, we have one of the greatest opportunities to learn and grow as a person.
Last year I made a few goals for this year aimed at improving my professional skills. I mapped out a plan and when January 1st rolled around I set out after achieving them. Like many others, I started strong but I ultimately got off track along the way. I failed to completely achieve my goals this year but unlike many others, I did not give up. While it would have been easy to abandon my goals, I adjusted the plan and set out on a new path forward.
Ultimately this persistence has gotten me about halfway to where I wanted to be. I was not afraid to leave my first plan incomplete but if I had not refocused my efforts and crafted a new strategy to move forward, I would have been disappointed. In failing to carry out my first plan, I learned my plan was unreasonable. Although it looked good on paper that plan left me burned out and required me to refocus my efforts if I wanted to succeed.
That 50% is more than I would have achieved had I been too afraid of failure to try. Imagine if I had given up when I first failed to live up to my self-imposed and unreasonable expectations of myself I wouldn’t be any closer to achieving my dreams nor would I have learned what realistic, achievable goals look like in my life. My failure has allowed me the opportunity to refocus my goals for the upcoming year and be successful in achieving them or at least get a little closer.
