A suggestion offered at my Mystic Pizza gathering this week: instead of a goal or a resolution for a year, try a theme. (Mystic Pizza is a monthly lunch of friends who are interested in mystical experience and related topics.) I think the idea of choosing a theme came from leadership/diversity consultant and writer Thomas Griggs.
Kelley Harrell of Soul Intent Arts said her theme this year is "allowing," not standing in the way of the good stuff that's happening for her. She likes this approach better than having goals, which feels too coercive and burdensome.
I like the idea too. My daily to-do list is something I rarely finish; it just gives me an idea, a set of priorities for my day.
I can see having a theme of being more fit, or improving my writing, or getting more work published, as a guiding factor in making a lot of daily decisions.
My resolution for this year is follow the will of God, which really falls more into the theme category. Because how do you know when you've accomplished it?
We did decide that a decision to follow the will of God is a lot easier than the resolve to lose five pounds, which is far too troublingly measurable.
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4 comments:
Hi Peggy,
I heard Marianne Williamson say that instead of praying for what we think we would like to achieve, we should use this phrase as a sort of mantra. "I do not perceive my own best interest." This reminded me of your resolution to "follow the will of God". The phrase, "I do not perceive my own best interest." gives us the opportunity to open ourselves up to God's will, and to allow Him to lead us to where He wants us to go. If we are able to let go of the control that keeping absolute lists makes us feel that we have, and admit that we do not always know what is best for us, it leaves us more open to the things that God would like us to discover.
Not exactly sure how to know when you have accomplished this other than to be sensitive to your own intuitions. Listen to the subtle voice inside that tells you that things feel right. Follow your gut.
Peggy - I never make new years resolutions but a theme sounds like a year of discovery rather than an opportunity for failure.
A very belated happy 2008 to you!
Debbie, "Absolute lists" jumped out of your comment at me. At the moment, I have three taped to my desk beside me. They do give me a sense of security and purpose. But it's important to remember that they're not absolute.
I read this weekend a piece about Sarajevo now and learned that it's not uncommon there for people to be nostalgic about the wartime there.
What they miss is the sense of togetherness that a break in the routine and a common need creates. People of many different backgrounds were sitting in cellars together talking and getting on well.
I would bet that they also were enjoying the absence of the usual lists, the simplification.
Toby, A Happy New Year to you too. I'm curious what your theme for your year is, if you have one. Getting the word out about cool people, products, and blogs?
To others: Toby has a lot of good secrets to how to make a blog and/or a business more visible.
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