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New Year's resolutions are so last year

Instead, spark a flame within you with a word of the year
Determination
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I can’t remember any of my previous years’ resolutions, both because I never write them down and I also never accomplish them. For me the making of the New Year’s Resolution has become habit, but not something I am truly excited about.

This year I have decided to make things a bit simpler. I can’t resist the blank page that a new year brings. It’s exciting to start an entire year fresh and consider the many possibilities that this year could contain.

Instead of making a list of resolutions that I won’t attain or remember, I have decided to embrace the Word of the Year. The Word of the Year is exactly what it sounds like, a word that you carefully select that will symbolize your hopes and dreams for the upcoming year.

This year I have chosen the word Determination.

Merriam-Webster defines Determination as “firm or fixed intention to achieve a desired end.”

The word determination evokes visions of grit and sweat - a resolute purpose that is unwavering.

If I’m being honest, I don’t envision myself as a determined person. I let things slide, I get lazy with my goals and my purpose, I live with little intentionality and go through the motions a lot.

It happens in the simple things, like telling the kids that they can’t eat near the television anymore, and giving up quickly because it’s easier to just let them have their way.

I happens in big ways too, like convincing myself that I can’t lose weight, or I will never learn how to drive.

Lately though I am seeing how capable I am, with just a bit of determination, I can accomplish great things.

This week I passed my driver’s test, and am a fully licensed. What an accomplishment for me, the girl who was terrified of driving and never believed she would ever pass her test!

I also joined Weight Watchers, a huge step for me in admitting a change is needed, and putting the effort needed to see some change.

Determination, for me, opens up the doors to many possibilities this year.

Where will my determination take me?

Perhaps to greater heights with my writing, as I reach deeper into myself and resolve to produce work that I can be proud of.

Maybe to a stronger marriage, where our mutual determination leads to a love and a bond that is unbreakable. My determination can certainly lead to more disciplined children, or children that my children can be proud of.

Already I have seen my determination spark a flame in me. The moment I achieved the goal of independent driving, or felt the change in my body due to healthy eating. In time, I hope to fan that flame, and create a fire inside of myself.

“Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.” - Golda Meir


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Brianna Bell

About the Author: Brianna Bell

Brianna Bell is a Guelph-based writer who focuses on events, small businesses, and community stories. In addition to GuelphToday, she has written for The Guelph Mercury and The Globe & Mail.
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