Irene never makes New Year’s Resolutions because they make her unhappy. Each Friday she writes about how various Mindfulness lessons apply in her daily life.
The last time I was interviewed for an English website, I was asked about what my New Year’s Resolutions were, to which I replied: “I never make them because they make me unhappy. A few years ago, I decided to stop thinking about what I want to do differently and start focusing on the things that had gone well during the past twelve months. It’s a more gentle way to approach the New Year: thinking about what I liked, and what I want to take from that into the coming year. In the end, the result is the same: when I recall those great Sunday mornings that I spent doing nothing and avoiding those to-do lists, I think to myself how wonderful it will be to have more of those kinds of moments next year. And that means that, ultimately, I will try to be a little less strict on myself and lighten up with the demands I put on myself.”
Of course, that all sounded very wise and beautiful, but in actual fact, it’s not entirely true. Secretly, I do have a lot of resolutions floating about. The voice in my head tells me to do more exercise, eat less sweets, read more books, watch less TV, faff around more, be less catty, let go of things, stress less, enjoy nature more, and cut out the whining…
Fortunately, I know that I won’t succeed in all that, so I chose to make a nice story instead of actually reeling them all off out loud. In fact, what I should have answered was this: “I do have resolutions, but I’m very happy ignoring them.” And that also happens to be one of my main resolutions for next year. To ignore that pesky little voice in my head that keeps calling out, albeit less and less. Anyone fancy joining me?
