O.O.M.M. – A New Year’s Resolution

Happy New Year, Everyone! 2014 is here, a blank slate that begs to be filled with promises and solutions and success. Or so the popular thinking goes.

I don’t like resolutions, but in these past few days of the new year, I’ve felt the weight of last year’s unmet goals slide off my shoulders and the idea of “getting it right” very tantalizing. I’d like to have something to reach for, but I’m wary of the usual suspects that we all adopt: losing weight, eating better, attending to our health, finishing a manuscript, etc. etc.

Then, I read an article online that really appealed to me. Instead of having a list of things we’d like to do or complete – why not adopt a word or phrase that we will carry through the year? It could be “believe” or “kindness” – a reminder of something that we want to hold on to through troubled or shaky times. It would be our personal theme for the year.

So I’ve chosen my four words: Out of My Mind. No, I’m not saying that my theme will be unleashing my inner mad woman. I’m saying that when I think of something I would like to do – like finish a manuscript – I will get the concept out of my mind and onto paper. I’m great at thinking of grand schemes or themes – but not so great at making them real. And, I don’t believe that it’s important to qualify these ideas or plans. They don’t have to be brilliant in their execution. But they have to BE. 

I’m going to put O.O.M.M. on little cards that I’ll spread around my house and my office at work. Maybe write it on my calendar pages. I thought of a tattoo, maybe one letter per finger – but nixed it.

So, if you had a personal theme for 2014, what would it be?