2015 In Retrospect

New Years is here. And to be a bit of a nerd, the statistics regarding New Years resolutions are something I find very interesting. According to the website Statistic Brain, the general sense is that the statistics regarding success in achieving our resolutions says that only 8 percent of those who attempt a New Years resolution are successful. Even more interesting is that 46 percent of those who attempt resolutions are successful through the end of June. Somehow in the last 6 months of the year we lose steam. Looking at these statistics can make a person question whether or not making a resolution is even worth it. However I have one more statistic for you, the whole point of this post, people who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than those who do not explicitly make resolutions.

For many of us, the New Year is a reset. As an artist who thrives on the blank canvas I thrive on the New Year.  December rolls in and I begin to contemplate the new years resolutions.  This year though, I did something a little different for December.  I still contemplated my goals, worked on my word for the year and begin the general day dreaming of how I might expand and grow in 2016 as I normally would but otherwise completely shut down my side hustle. It seemed kind of risky when we are constantly taught to be present in social so that we can grow our following. However I needed to be true to myself. I needed the time to look inward.  I needed time to sit with my own self to really know what the next years resolutions could be. Turns out, as I focused on what my future goals might be I realized I needed a solid foundation to make those goals a reality.  It seems that maybe my framework is my weak point so I am spending the time needed to strengthen that.

I am also taking the time to look at last years resolutions asking the question “am I one of the 8 percent”?  Last year I did my resolutions in a very different way that I had before. I decided not to go with a traditional resolution about change and instead chose to make three lists I would focus on. My first list was my Learn list, my second list was my Go list, and my third list was my Do list.  If you notice not a single list was a change list or a don’t list.  The lists are as follows.

Learn

• To Can
• To Make Soup
• To Make Beer
• To Sail
• To Sew Better

Go

• Camping More
• Skiing
• Snow Shoeing
• To the Beach More
• Stay in a Yurt
• One Away Thorns Game
• One Art Retreat Out of PDX

Do

• Quit Adidas
• License
• Paint Portrait of Dogs
• Buy 8 New Pairs of Shoes
• Book 3 Art Shows
• Plant a Bigger Garden

I completed 10 out of 19. All in all I feel very good about the completion rate. Like the statistic said, the other goals I set in my life were much easier to obtain when I had started the year off with the mindset of taking my goals seriously. I know for some folks it might seem like I missed the mark but for me the resolutions I set are about making my life better.  These resolutions and the whole mindset I started the year off with has paid off.