Resolutions

New Year's is a time when many people decide to set resolutions, usually ones that are geared toward making yourself better in the year to come than you have been in years past. According to USA.gov, some of the most common resolutions people set include:

• Lose weight
• Quit smoking
• Get a better job
• Get a better education
• Save more money
• Eat healthier
• Get out of debt
• Spend more time with family
• Get organized
• Volunteer more
• Drink less alcohol

They all sound like great goals, and unfortunately they are also pretty vague, which is probably why only 8% of people are successful in achieving their resolutions every year, according to at study by the University of Scranton published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology. If you did make a resolution about being healthier, exercising more, etc., here is a motivational video that might help you. It was made by Rich Froning, 3-time CrossFit games champion (i.e. the "Fittest Man on Earth"). 

The most successful New Year's resolution I ever had was something like 10 or 11 years ago, when I made a resolution to floss every single day. I was successful in doing it for 21 days straight (which I hear is the threshold to make something a habit), and since that day I have rarely missed a day of flossing my teeth. My dentist is very proud. 

Before you think I am disparaging all resolutions, that is not the case. I also have set a goal with Nick to eat a healthier diet this year, and get back to CrossFit as much as I can during treatment and after this whole chemotherapy thing is all over. I believe setting goals can be a powerful motivator to keep us focused on the things we want to achieve. In that spirit, cancer and chemotherapy has also spurred a new resolution that will be ongoing every single day, every single year, from today until my time on this earth is over: live every day to the fullest, love more, hate less, and be thankful for every day that I get. 

The thing about being diagnosed with cancer is that, among other things, it makes you really think about your own mortality. I don't plan on dying from breast cancer, but when you hear that kind of diagnosis it makes you realize that any day on earth could be your last, whether you die of sickness, age, natural causes, an accident, or anything else. When I thought about that, I realized that every day is short. Every year is short. Every minute that we have to live should be a minute that we try to make ourselves, and the world around us, a better place to be. So instead of spending time thinking about how much you hate someone or something, being bitter about the past, hating your job, being mad at other people, complaining about life not being exactly the way you would like it to be, arguing and being petty, instead of that, spend more time loving, more time appreciating what you do have, more time working to make yourself the person you DO want to be, and more time letting those around you know how much you love them. I know I will. Happy New Year.