“We’re hoping to succeed; we’re okay with failure. We just don’t want to land in between.”

–David Chang

I noticed this year that lot’s of people I spoke to about new year resolutions had sort of given up on the idea.  ”Why bother” “what’s the use”, they’d say.  Personally I like the idea of having one point in the year where I can think about the coming one and have a fresh start at some of my goals.  Winter seems as a good a time as any, doesn’t it?  Cold, still, dark, death before birth.

I have 3 goals that I am focusing on this year; one, to sing more, two, to practice a bit more hatha yoga — although I consider daily life my yoga practice, my body is appreciating this re-invention, and three, to face each difficulty with enthusiasm, excitement, and curiosity!  Warning, be careful about making goals like that last one, the universe has an odd sense of humor!

So here we are approaching the end of January already, and I notice that some of my wishes are starting to wane already.  What to do, what to do…  Avoid the middle!  I would change the above quote slightly, I say, “I am going for success, I am okay with failure…  As long as I am striving to do my best, I can accept failure.  Failure is inevitable some of the time and when viewed as a friend — a teacher, merely inspires us to try again, in the same way a child learns to walk.  The middle is more like that place we go where we give in to our complacency, our acceptance of “the way things are”.

So as February roles around take stock of your new year resolutions!  Strive for success, and be okay with failure, like a child learning to walk.  As soon as you say failure is not an option, you’ve just said innovation is not an option.  (seth godin)  Accept that you will have failures and use them to help you get back on track.

As for me, I am saluting the sun in the morning and singing at the moon.  The third one will come to me whether I choose it or not!

What are your new year resolutions?