Well, look at that! 2021 has come and gone, and now it’s 2022.

Is that right? 2022? Wow, that number seems like it’s from a science fiction movie, doesn’t it?

And if you’re like most people, you’ve been thinking about making your New Year’s resolution. But I’ve got an idea for you. What if you made a resolution to never make another New Year’s resolution?

This is how I think about it. If you want your life to be better or if you want to be a better person or if you want to start a new habit, you want to do it right away, don’t you? You don’t want to wait one more minute to improve the quality of your life.

So why set yourself up for failure? You set a New Year’s resolution, and after a few weeks something goes awry and you fail at it, and then you give up. And then you have to wait a whole year before you can set a new one.

That seems kind of silly to me. I mean, if it works for you, that’s just great! It just seems to me that most people are doing it wrong.

Instead of waiting for the new year to roll around, and to have all that pressure of not breaking the resolution that you set for yourself, why not just start when you’re ready to start?

All you need to do is make the decision to start, and then take the simplest of steps in the direction you want to go. Just move in that direction. And then keep taking little steps in that direction. Just do a little bit every day, or every week, and before you know it, you’re closer to your goal. And you haven’t put all that pressure on yourself.

Sure, you’re going to fall down or fall off the wagon or fail some way, because that’s just what we do. We are human beings, and we are weak and lazy. Now I don’t mean that as an insult to everyone, but at times we are all weak and lazy, and we take the easy way out. It’s our nature.

And that’s just fine.

The important thing is not to stay in one place and wallow in the failure or to just give up. The important thing is to try again as soon as you are able. You don’t have to make big advances, because baby steps will get you there. And sometimes you’ll take a step backward, sometimes it’ll be quite a few steps backward, but the important thing is to keep moving in the direction you want to go.

Life throws a lot of things at us, and people expect a lot from us. Some days we have a lot of energy, and some days we just can’t get off the couch.

And that’s just fine.

We all take turns at being weak and lazy. But no one can fault us if we keep trying to move in the right direction. You can’t fail if you’re trying. Trying is the key. Making an effort is what’s important.

And if you’re done with self-improvement and you don’t want to move in any direction at all, that’s fine, too. Be proud of what you’ve accomplished and enjoy where you are right now.

Here’s another idea we can all try in this new year. Try to be a little more patient with each other as we take turns being weak and lazy. Maybe instead of becoming angry and impatient, we can recall the days when we were weak and lazy and we just couldn’t. I think making an effort to be a little patient with each other and having a bit of compassion could go a very long way.

So whether you choose to make a New Year’s resolution or not this year, maybe we can all agree to be a little more patient and kind to each other as we dance through this thing called life.

And the next time that you’re waiting in line, and somebody in front of you is having a particularly rough time, maybe say a little prayer for them or offer them an encouraging word or offer them a little help—because in a little while it’s going to be your turn.

And wouldn’t you like a little help when that happens?

Wishing you all a very healthy and prosperous New Year!