New Year: What’s Your Resolution

Every year, people have resolutions they set. Not everyone, but most. Sadly, the majority of people will not make it to Valentine’s Day holding their resolutions in check. The process of making them and keeping them tends to be a solitary process that relies on one’s will power to sustain.

And, like most singular unsupported dreams, they vanish to the schedule of busy that makes up the modern era life. The question then becomes this:

If we, as heads of households, can’t keep a simple promise/resolution to ourselves, what examples are we setting for our spouses and child(ren) who depend on our word?

The Usual Suspects: the resolutions

We promise to get in shape, save more money, be nicer, spend more time with family, and other wonderful resolves. However, in reality, it’s just a flight of fancy. Could there be more solid ground to build on? Could we be doing better?

Of course we can. Of course we should.

A promise without a plan is just a pipe dream

As a child, I once read a story of a family who worked to set up a system of success for their resolutions. Each year, they picked one area that the whole family was going to work on to improve. They made it a mission. A vision. A priority. A way to identify themselves as a family unit.

At the time, it was like reading some epic sci-fi fiction. These types of families do not exist in the world I was growing up. The most I saw was with my own family. They had end of year praise and thanks. They had prayers for our success, the parents that is. They asked God to lead the family forward.

Most families I knew, they just had the typical goals. Do better than the year before.

The Mission Driven Home

No, I’m not asking folks to become that super hero type family that goes out on missions to save the world. Not that this is not necessary. What I’m asking in a statement is this… what is the goal your family wants to reach this year?

It is very true we all have our person resolutions. Those are totally fine. The question is this, is there a resolution for the whole family? What will the household get better this year?

What collective dream will the family reach? What area of your home do you want to see improve? What conversations have you had with your partner about their understanding of where the family is going this year?

In full disclosure, this is an area of my life I’m working on… not trying to present solutions as if I’m the expert… I too am a work in progress, same for my family

As you ponder the above questions, on the next page, the conversation continues with a few more ideas worth mulling over.