You say you want a "ResoLution"...

"You say you want a reVolution well you know..." or so goes the old song by The Beatles. Maybe the British quartet really meant a RESOLUTION? With the new year of 2010 here, and the holidays safely in our rear-view mirror, I think we are all ready to start anew. However, before we get started with the crisp, fresh, new year, it seems as if most people can't get it going until they have set them selves up for the added pressure of the annual New Year's Resolution. This year (once again) we plan on quitting smoking, losing weight, getting more organized, and even trying to donate time down at the local homeless shelter. Skip ahead to mid February or even March, and for most, the resolution has been "kicked to the curb" like a bad boyfriend or girlfriend. Now, unless we just need that little "sting" of reality every year to once again remind ourselves that, "nope, we're not perfect," I am not really sure why we feel we have to create these "emotional binding contracts" with ourselves year after year. I know for myself, I am not a big fan of the tradition. However, without trying to delve too deeply into the psyche of all of those who participate in this annual rite of passage, I would like to offer up a "white flag" if you will. No, not a white flag of complete surrender, but one of compromise. Why don't we all just try a "collective resolution"? Let's all resolve to be better in general. We don't need to announce to everyone on January 1st that we are going to drink less this year (as we nurse our hangovers), let's just make good things happen. Let's resolve to do our best no matter what it is. Better parents, better co-workers, better spouses, even better farmers. Let's try to be good to ourselves as well, both mentally and physically, and for those who choose...spiritually. Would better people make a better world? I believe so. Come to think of it, maybe I did make a resolution on January 1st after all. Let's see if a "collective resolution" can actually work. We can all be a part of it in our own way. No pressure, no guilt, no gums, no pills or patches, just a better place for us all. Now THAT would be would be a successful resolution we could all stick to and live with.