I feel bad for the word resolution. It has a negative connotation associated with each new year. I do not set New Year’s resolutions because like many others, I fail at them. Quite frankly after 2020, I know a lot of people are refusing to set resolutions because if we learned anything from COVID-19, it’s that nothing is certain. Plans cancelled. Countries shut down. Travel came to a stop. The entire world came to screeching halt. So what’ the point in setting resolutions for 2021? Instead of resolutions, this year I’m going to negotiate what I want to carry with me from 2020 into 2021 and what I’ll leave behind.

Here’s what I’ll be carrying into 2021: my disciplined daily bible reading, finished & unfinished manuscripts, my company, my new teaching career, professional networks, my writing connections, time boundaries, and the determination to increase engagement and readership on my site.

What’s not coming with me into 2020: fear, excuses for not writing, unfinished-ness (the art of not finishing what I started), saying “yes” or “sure” to everyone and everything (people pleasing), health problems (COVID weight gain and this writing & teaching sedentary lifestyle and all its side effects), and a resume that no longer serves my career or business.

I’m sure both of these lists can contain more but it’s a start. I’ve written them down so I can check in with myself from time to time throughout 2021. And of course I’ll be carrying the love that I have for my husband, my family, and friends into the new year – that’s always a non-negotiable!