I Don’t Have Any New Year’s Resolutions This Year (And I’m Okay With It)

I didn’t set myself any New Year’s goals this year, perhaps for the first time ever.

A lack of inspiration or motivation — maybe.

At least that’s what I thought it may have been a couple of weeks ago.

But I’m starting to think that maybe, just maybe, not having any New Year’s resolutions might actually be the move.

Hear me out…

What if sometimes the best goal is no goal?

Maybe The Goal Is To Just ‘Be’

“My dream would to be completely at ease, to be completely happy with what I’ve got already and not really have any aspirations to do a billion other things.”

Tim Bergling

So I was watching the ‘Avicii – I’m Tim’ documentary on Netflix last week.

I didn’t really enjoy it, but there was one particular scene that made this whole idea click inside my brain.

The documentary, and Tim’s life, seemed like a constant chase.

He always wanted to go one better, play a bigger show or make a bigger song.

This, coupled with the constant external pressure from the people around him, was what led to his death.

“I just want to be free from all the ideas of a life. The thing that kept me from living life has been that exact thing. Having an idea of what life should be and what should make me happy. You know, making a bigger song would make me more happy, but nothing has turned out to be true, I want to learn how to be content with what I have.”

Tim Bergling

Free from the ideas of life, content with what you have.

What if your New Year’s resolution was to be content with what you have or with what you achieved last year?

Would you see that as a lack of aspiration or drive?

Or would that be the only thing that may actually lead to a more content life?

I’m asking because I don’t really know, but a big part of me thinks it would.

To be free from the ideas of a life is something that’s incredibly difficult to achieve, but we can never achieve it if we don’t actually start trying.

I would assume that most New Year’s resolutions are ideas of a life imparted on you by external forces, even if you don’t think that’s true.

That’s why most of them fail (around 90% of them).

Because if you really wanted the thing, deep down, you’d achieve it (you also wouldn’t wait until January 1 to start).

Throughout the documentary, it was clear Tim was living someone else’s life.

He didn’t want to be Avicii, he wanted to be Tim.

His goals and aspirations were tied to ideas that didn’t actually align with who he was.

And I think that’s similar to pretty much all of us.

The only goals I’ve achieved in life are goals that I truly want deep down. 

Goals with an aspiration so strong that literally nothing will stop it. 

I have failed at so many things, but when I look back, it’s always because they weren’t things I truly cared about anyway. 

When you care about it, you’ll know. 

Setting goals just for setting goals sake ain’t it, and it’s probably distracting you from what actually matters.

The Present Is Always The Answer

“Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.”

John Lennon

There are so many wonderful things in my life that I don’t appreciate enough.

And the main reason for my lack of appreciation is my inability to be present — always thinking about the next thing or what life would be like if I achieved this or that.

I believe these two things to be true:

First, goal-setting is a necessary part of life.

Second, goal-setting can be very dangerous.

Without goals, we can’t achieve anything.

Humans need purpose, we need a reason to get out of bed and deal with annoying people all day (cause man… it’s hard). 

But I think goal-setting is dangerous because we’re really just not that good at it, are we?

For most people, including myself, goal-setting is usually coupled with the offsetting of happiness.

This is genuinely my thought process:

Okay, my goal is to put on 5kg of muscle this year and I won’t like how I look until I achieve that.

Then I achieve that, and I’m still not content with how I look.

It’s the same in almost every avenue of life.

Career goals will never be satisfied because the allure of a bigger pay check or a more illustrious job title is always hanging over your head.

Material goals are no different.

You finally get that Porsche 911 (won’t stop me dreaming) or that house with a view… but life just continues as normal.

Like I already know the Porsche won’t make me happy, but I still want it (this is why we suck).

But my life changed when I realized this…

All goals in life are just a pathway to contentment. 

And if you can somehow find a way to be content with what you have now, suddenly the chase just doesn’t seem all that necessary. 

Does All Of This Even Make Sense?

So there, I’ve told you how important goals are and also how crap they are, so I’ve left you more confused than when you even clicked on this article, you’re welcome.

I’m also even more confused than when I started writing this, so I don’t know where that leaves us.

I will say this though…

Anything that makes us appreciate what we have in the present moment will make us live a better life.

So far for me this year, that’s been sitting back and thinking ‘alright I’m actually in a really good spot in life, surrounded by people I really like.’

I feel like, right now, some big goal would just distract me from appreciating this.

I’m sure in a few months things may start to feel a bit stagnant, and maybe that’s when goal-setting or some big aspiration will take over my life.

But for now, I feel content.

And it’s taken me a long time to feel that way.

***

About the Author: Jack Waters is a former journalist turned creative thinker and writer, on a mission to become better every day and live a more fulfilling life.