Cocky Enough To Hold Your Fire

I've seen a lot of declarations about not making any New Year's resolutions in 2017. I don't know if it's a trend or people were just fed up with the horribleness of 2016, they can't imagine it being any worse, but don't want to tempt fate.

Well, far be it for me to jump on bandwagons. ::shudder:: But I find myself in the same mindset, and I am declining to make my traditional Lunar New Year's resolutions or goals. I know it's something that I used to take delight in declaring, regardless of how the previous year's implementation went, but now I'm not as eager.

Sure, I have dreams and a wish list a mile long constantly full of ideas of what I'd like to do professionally, financially and personally. That list never goes away, no matter how much I cross things off of it. But with the Year of the Fire Rooster, I feel compelled to keep it simple for this trip around the sun.

With all the peaks and troughs of 2016, I think it's important to focus on recovery, re-energizing and reclaiming. That's not double-speak. That's recognizing that constant growth is neither sustainable nor realistic. Like many, I took an “L” in 2016 in a lot of areas. And even though I may tackle some new projects throughout the year ruminating in my mind, they're not resolutions, goals or aspirations.

If I've learned anything as I creep up on the big 4-0 this year, it's that if something is truly meant to come your way, it'll find that path to you in its own time. I've spent years trying to hustle, sacrifice and toil my way toward goals that everyone claimed was the right path for me. And even though very little of it has worked out as I hoped, the stories I've collected on this journey give me comfort in the notion that the destination was never the prize to be one.

I would love for a lot of things to come my way in the Year of the Cock. [Don't laugh. You're so immature. ;-)] From freelancing to home decor to financial stability, the year will be a challenge just like every year. But it'll be a journey until itself. One I'm hoping will leave me in a better health, holistically, than I had in the previous year.

So bring on the red envelopes, fireworks and candy you can only find in Chinatowns, Koreatowns and Little Tokyo's! Bring on the year of no goals. Bring on the reclamation. The Year of the Rooster awaits.