Being Resolute Throughout the Year

It's the very first Friday of 2013, so it must be time for another Friday Night Cocktail Hour at the Henderson's.  Nothing says 'New Year's' like the practice of making resolutions.  I happen to have the birth date of January 1st, which means that I also encounter the double whammy of contemplating where I am in life and where I want to go.  

I was thinking about how this effected me over the course of my life last week, and I realized that I have very early memories of making 'resolutions' each January 1.  

As you can perhaps imagine, I have grown to take them quite seriously.  I know that many make frivolous statements about what they want to change or do in the new year, and some of this serial self-letdown can start to become habitual. It is, after all, a resolution - literally a firm decision to act in some way.  Watching yourself firmly resolve only to see a quiet slide in the other direction has to do something to one's self-image.  The question is, just how much negative build up happens after years and years of letting yourself down? 

Perhaps it's time to resolve not to over or understate your resolve this year.  Being resolutely steadfast and honest about what you can accomplish doesn't mean under-achieving, it just means deciding to build on what is real and possible.  If the foundation of your excellent resolution is sandy lome, you're not going to have a lot of luck building stable and long-lasting outcomes.  My farmer's daughter roots tell me that you have to know your soil before you decide what to plant, and preparing that soil is the most important step in the harvest.  

So tonight, join us in a toast to evaluation before resolution and perhaps rethink your current or future resolution in the light of what you see.  Building layers of success, one atop the other, will get you to that resolution far before sliding backward and forward.  That wobbling will most likely result in a rut. May this year result in your being resolute and happier about your resolve throughout the year, not just for the first weeks of it. We decided to toast tonight with Bera Vittorio Moscato d'Asti because it's bubbly, clear and sweet - just like we want our year ahead to be for all!  CHEERS FRIENDS!