My resolution for 2015

How’s this for a New Year’s resolution for 2015?

“As 2014 comes to an end, I resolve to focus less on the 10 million or so situations and problems that are completely beyond my control and focus more on specific problems and challenges I can do something about.”

Like all resolutions, this one is obviously much easier to talk about (and write about) than it is to put into action. But wouldn’t your life and mine be different – and better – if we worried less and focused more on positive and concrete action?

More and more, it seems, this world is filled with massive problems. Crazy problems. Unbelievably outrageous and ridiculous problems. And parts of the planet that by and large had been a positive influence now sometimes seem to be part of the problem. Can’t say, for example, that I have a lot of confidence in the American government. But really, what am I going to do to improve the quality of the most influential government in the world?

Keep calm and fly on

More recently, I have attempted to pray for people in the present administration. Private prayer, I realized once again, does a lot more good than passive criticism. But aside from communicating with the Super Power that makes all other “super powers” look pathetic, there isn’t much that I can do personally – unless of course you have some suggestions.

Here’s the situation: The American people will have to deal with the American government in the years to come. I wish them well, and plan to focus primarily on my own country and my own life.

Over to Asia. Sadly, as you probably know, Air Asia has been in the news as of late because of a missing plane which was found today in pieces in the Java Sea. When a plane goes down, anywhere in the world, anxiety usually goes way up – up, up, and away. These stories capture our imagination. And stress sets in. Yes, planes crash from time to time. We all know this happens. And when planes crash, people die.

But again, what am I going to do about this tragic situation? Not much. I feel bad for the people on that plane and for the families affected. But what can I do to fix this situation or avoid one like it in the future? Very little. Should I now resolve to walk everywhere? Would that help? Should I boycott flying and paddle my canoe to the other side of the ocean? Would that be the answer? Should I stay home and stay inside and never leave again?

Any other creative suggestions? Just looking for answers and options.

The only real option, as far as I can tell, is to keep on living and keep on flying from time to time because that is what I need to do. Keep calm, as they say, and fly on. That’s the only realistic option.

The idea, of course, isn’t to do nothing about problems and significant perils that wise people routinely make sure they prepare for. This lone resolution, rather, is all about picking appropriate problems, while ignoring millions of others, and then going to work. This suggested resolution raises two important questions: (1) What do I need to pay less attention to in the new year? and, (2) What do I need to pay more attention to in 2015?

How about you? How would you begin to answer these questions? Which pressing problems or projects require your focused and personal attention in the coming days?

Rip-roaring resolutions

Wouldn’t you know it. I couldn’t think of a thing to say – not a single thing. Nothing substantial came to mind.

I thought and waited and waited and thought and thought and waited some more. But still, no new years resolutions appeared. Nothing cute or clever; nothing simple or profound; no, nothing much at all.

Perhaps you can relate; but probably not. Your piece of paper is likely filled with all sorts of great ideas.

In any case, much like the song about the Grinch who stole Christmas, there are three words to describe the result of my recent reflection, and I quote: “Zero! Zip! Zilch!” Yeah, that’s about it. A few rough ideas casually crossed my mind, of course, but nothing worth mentioning or putting into print.

So be it henceforth resolved that I will not be doing much, much at all, in the new year. Or so it seems. What else is there to say? Since no lovely list will likely be forthcoming or magically appear any time soon. What more can be said? Looks like 2013 is shaping up to be a dull and uneventful year, and it hasn’t even started.

Hope you don’t mind if I take a brief break right about now to release a deep yawn. There, that feel much better. All of this talk about a lack of resolutionary talk is making me tired; that, and it is getting late.

By the way, how are your plans and resolutions shaping up for the new year? And do you feel like you are making any progress?

Resolve flows most freely from deep conviction

Tilting personally towards the melancholic side of life, this lack of instantaneous enthusiasm isn’t really that surprising. While optimists see the glass half full, and pessimists view the glass as half empty, I fall among those who naturally wonder why that confounded container even exists. What is a glass for? Hmm, let’s talk about that for the next few days. In the larger scheme of life, does one solitary glass really matter? What do you think?

And while we are at it, what is the purpose of the new years resolution tradition anyway? Is there one? What is the point of writing down a bunch of overly ambitious goals that more often than not won’t be accomplished?

As you can see, this cheery train of thought, this type of ongoing inner reflection, makes for being the life of almost every party. Why join in the Boot Scootin’ Boogie (or whatever PSY has going on) when you can hang out at the punch bowl and reflect on the deeper meaning of life for hours on end? Fun, fun. And why bother catching up with an old friend over coffee when the whole story swapping scene has been called into question? Exactly.

Yep, to make things even worse, my natural tendency is to constantly question why people even talk. It’s true. Anyone still reading this post must think I am crazy or foolish or both. So be it. To be sure, this type of thinking does have a way of putting a damper on lengthy conversations. If it is any consolation, writing makes a little more sense – but not much. For either way, the weirdness that is apparent in a world that didn’t have to exist but nevertheless does is almost too much for me to manage.

Please pause for a moment and consider that each weird and wonderful person on this planet has something to offer, and that each personality type has a role to play.

For being wired in such an unusual way is not without some benefit. From my vantage point it is possible to clearly see that being alive is not normal or necessary. This tendency to be confused by daily conversation has the same effect as reading stories about talking animals or taking a trip to the moon; if you haven’t been to the moon lately imagine another strange place.

When you return to your ordinary reality, as you know, that same old situation doesn’t look quite the same. Culture shock or in this case “conversation shock” sets in. Suddenly you notice that animals don’t talk, that people frequently do, and that it could have been the other way around.

What’s the point? Is there a point?

Well, maybe, just maybe, my inability to produce a list of snappy resolutions for the new year makes sense. As an aside, one obvious reason is that I neglected to ask my wise and witty wife for her suggestions. A recent thirty-second conversation produced half a dozen goals for 2013 that would be sure to serve me well. But that is another story.

My mental roadblock, when it comes to making new year’s resolutions (and probably keeping the too), seems to come down to this: Resolve flows more freely from deep conviction than from arbitrary initiative. So meditating on the former rather than the latter is the place to begin. That was my mistake. In other words, it is necessary to reflect on what is true before deciding what to do. And remember, asking questions is necessary to get answers.

For example, a strong determination to lose weight or gain weight or move a bit of weight from here to there depends on what you are convinced is true. Your health and sense of well-being is important, but is it really true that the shape of your body is the most important thing about you? I don’t think so. Do you?

Probing deeper, are you convinced that your life is valuable whether anybody seems to think it is or not? Why or why not? Something to think about in the new year.

If you begin with the really big questions, the smaller resolutions have a way of more easily falling into place.