Starting Strong

It's that time of year again: memories of a year passed are being revisited, new goals are being set, and none of us can seem to write the date correctly.

Don't worry, you'll figure out that it's 2012 just in time for it to be 2013. 

I'd like to think that this is the time of year when Life Before the Bucket should be in its prime. And since this blog was birthed from my bucket list, the beginning of a new year screams, "WRITE ABOUT YOUR NEW GOALS!"

But first, I want to remember. To recall. To enjoy what has happened so that I can appreciate what's to come.

Last year, I set 111 goals to accomplish in 2011. Needless to say, I didn't achieve them all. However, I definitely did more than I would have if I didn't have the goals in the first place. I managed to cross fourty-four goals off of my list last year. And if I would've tried harder, I could have done more.

And isn't that always the issue?

We work, we play, and we live life, hoping to make the best of it. But sometimes, we don't want to try any longer. We form a skewed sense of entitlement: "I've done this well so far; why do I need to keep applying  myself?"

And therein lies a critical mistake that we make in most of our endeavors: we stop trying.

This habit forms early, while we're still in school. We go through 12 years of school, and by the time we hit the 13th - our senior year - we think we deserve a break! After all, we have already shown that we can do the "school" thing for twelve straight years; why should we keep trying? Fortunately, most of us manage to survive school, despite such an attitude.

But life isn't school. You don't get to skate through the "classes" you don't enjoy. You don't get to "graduate."  Instead, life demands that you face it head-on until you've breathed your very last.

Sure, you've done pretty well in life so far - after all, look at all of your accolades! And while you should be commended for how you've fought so far to live a life of intentionality, it doesn't stop here. It's a new year, people, and there are new challenges ahead.

I, for one, am excited. Ecstatic, even. I can't wait to make 2012 one of the most memorable years of my life. But I can't do that if I don't try.

So as you begin 2012, consider making one of your resolutions to try harder than you did last year. Let this year be different. Make it impossible to say, "And if I would've tried harder, I could have done more."

Because you can try harder, and I know you will.

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Questions: What are some of your goals for 2012? How can you try harder this year? 


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