New Year's Resolutions

So as my boss left work early today, he said, “See you next decade!” He can be kind of cheesy, I know, but it got me thinking about the New Year and the progression of time.

Every New Year I think about some things. I think just the fact that time passes makes you reflect, especially when forced to consider the passing time, like at this time of year. So of course, there is the common consideration of what we think of ourselves, and what we can change and that’s where resolutions come from.

I like to work with dictionary definitions, and so I looked up the word “resolution” on dictionary.com. Of course there were the definitions we all think of when we hear the word “resolution”, like “a resolve or determination” and “the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc”. But I found some other interesting ones that I thought I’d comment on:

The mental state or quality of being resolved or resolute; firmness of purpose.

Seriously, how many people do you know that have that firmness of purpose. I mean, it’s a running joke that most resolutions don’t last. If we really had a firmness of purpose, don’t you think that would be a little different?

The resulting state.

Most of us think of a resolution as a goal, but it’s a little more than that. It’s not just the act of losing weight, for example. I can lose 2 lbs. each week so that I’ve lost a total of 104 lbs. by the end of the year, but if each week I gain 2 lbs. as well, I’m in the exact same boat, right? So the “resolution” we are looking for is not to “lose 104 lbs”, but to “weigh 104 lbs less”. There is definitely a difference.

In Music: The tone or chord to which a dissonance is resolved

I know this has a particular application, but if we think of New Year’s resolutions in terms of that definition, it’s kind of interesting. Essentially, our resolutions should be about creating harmony from dissonance. I love music, and that is actually one of my favorite parts of a song, if done right. It’s the part where all the dissonance is resolved. It’s beautiful.

Reduction to a simpler form; conversion

Life is so busy these days. There are so many things that keep us busy that it is hard to even find a few minutes to think or to listen. We are always talking, texting, listening to mp3 players, running errands, watching our shows, updating Facebook, tweeting, and emailing (and yes, even updating blogs!). It takes a lot of discipline to put some of those things down and simplify our lives. Perhaps some good resolutions would be to put away some of this stuff and give your time and energy to something vastly more valuable, like listening, being there for friends, or giving service.

All that being said, I still haven’t made any official resolutions yet. These definitions have certainly given me a little more to think about if I decide to.