As 2016 rolled to an end, I evaluated my list of yearly goals. Yes, I call them goals instead of resolutions because we all know people don’t stick to resolutions. But goals? Heck the interwebs and social media are aflame with goal setting and goal getting. Or at least that’s what we are led to believe. I recently came across the goal lists I had made for myself 8 years ago, and to my surprise and disappointment, ok more like a moment of Cruella level self-condemnation, I realized that several of these goals from years ago still appeared on my list and had many times over the years. Why is it that I had achieved some great success with some goals, clearly moving my life towards the life I envision, and yet some just weren’t happening? Did I not want them badly enough? Was I just an underperforming slacker being lazy and not doing enough? Or was it something about the goals themselves or maybe the way I’m thinking about the goals?

What is a resolution anyway? According to Dictionary.com, it means “a formal expression of opinion or intention made; a decision or determination” but it also means “reduction to a simpler form”. How great is that idea? Instead of piling myself up with goals, adding even more expectations of myself without any additional hours in a day, how about I work on reduction to a simpler form? While goals are all well and good, and I believe necessary to help me achieve all the great things I want to do in this life, how much better would my life be if I also looked at taking away somethings that are no longer serving me (or never were in the first place)? For example, tonight I came home and turned on the TV just like I do most nights, but after about 15-20 minutes of not really watching it, just like I do most nights, when I went to get into the shower I just turned it off and turned on music instead. After the shower, I sat down with a book instead of the TV and without the TV playing in the background, I talked to a friend, took the dog for a walk and enjoyed the fresh air and now I’m sitting down to write. (full disclosure – no I don’t have kids, see previous posts, and I’m single so, yes I know this evening, while not spectacular to some, is indeed quite a luxury to others.) The point is, I took away one thing, and without it’s distraction I was able to more fully enjoy and focus on each of these activities and therefore enjoy them more. Plus, I feel less stressed about my work day and I feel like my day involved more than just my job. I think I might be on to something with this reducing to simpler forms. A big part of what I want for 2017 is a simpler life where I can be aware of my life and what’s going on around me, rather than time seeming to speed up and fly right by at the speed of light. This year, while looking at goals and envisioning the life I want to life, I’m not going to think of it as what do I want to add on, but rather, what do I want to trade off or what can I just drop, in order to make room for the things that will add quality to my life.

Give it a try, what can you reduce to simpler forms and does it improve your quality of life, even a little bit? Leave a comment below and let us know.