Giving Up Hope As A New Year Resolution?

The Buddhist tradition teaches us that as long as we continue to wish for things to change, they never will. As long as we hope to improve, we won't. As long as we have an orientation toward the future, we will never just relax into what we already have or already are.

One of the deepest habitual patterns we carry is to feel that now is not good enough. We reflect and compare the present to the past or wish things to be different when imagining the future.

Even at times when we feel great satisfaction in our lives, we tend to think about what the future holds. We don't quite give ourselves full credit for who we are in the present.

It is easy to yearn for things to improve as a result of our actions. We create our New Year resolutions based on these hopes. Vowing to exercise more or improve our diet, we hope to feel or look a certain way.

Abandoning any hope of fruition does not mean abandoning our ambitions. Instead, it points to a path that focuses on the present rather than on results.

Whatever we do, it is usually done for a purpose, hoping to succeed rather than fail. That works well until our thoughts of success or failure begin to overpower the task at hand. Hopes and fears tend to go hand in hand and when we become result driven, we often miss the lessons presented along the way.

How is it possible to maintain our focus and work toward achieving our desired outcomes, without getting fixated on results? As we go about our activities, we must pay attention to the difference between having a goal and being taken over by our hopes, fears, and speculations.

I personally want to meditate more this year, but am not listing that as a resolution. My intention is to continue integrating more compassion toward others and myself. My methods to experience this include meditation and yoga, teaching and coaching, nutrition, and nurturing my relationships. By doing what I love, I tap into my natural strengths. In this way I can experience my ultimate result in the present moment and by meditating more, the experience will simply continue from what is already present rather than from what I feel may be missing.

As you work with your New Year resolutions, keep in mind that the root of healing is not in the premise that you are going to try to push things away, but that what you already have in each step of the process is worth appreciating. Enjoying the ride is how we ultimately find joy and gratification in our lives.