I don’t really make resolutions. I set a few goals, but those are good any day of the year. One goal I managed to reach was to read 50 books in 2015. I succeeded in that in large part because of the Goodreads challenge counter.

The Goodreads counter helped me in much the same way as the NaNoWriMo word counter does. Something about the graph line moving toward its goal keeps me on task.

What helps you reach a goal? Will power? Who has unstoppable will power? Will power, I have come to believe, is a mythological beast. Okay, maybe it is real, but it is a beast not easily spotted, not easily kept. It can’t survive on its own. It doesn’t live forever. It can’t steamroll through all the obstacles and moods set before it.

Imagine your monsters of self-doubt, insecurity, neediness, stubbornness, forgetfulness, guilt, and whatever else up against your lone Will Power Beast. Not to mention the obstacles life will hurl into its path–the bills, the distractions, the negative comments from petty, mean-spirited, and jealous. Why do we expect so much of will power? I see this in comment sections (usually made by people who have tied up, gagged, and locked away their creature of empathy), “Well, [so-and-so] lacks will power.” Sure, maybe. Or maybe we have absurd expectations for the Will Power Beast.

My Will Power Beast fights for so long, gets me so far, and then it needs a nap and a good meal. What might a Will Power Beast need to fuel itself? Kind words from supportive loved ones, perhaps? Time for play with no expectations? A bar graph it can point to and say, “That. I did That!”

The Will Power Beast can’t thrive in a negativity swamp. It will get stuck. It will despair. It is not a loner.

In this New Year, I wish you luck on reaching your goals. I wish you friendships and stories to remember. I wish you and your Will Power Beast a good journey together.

Happy New Year and thanks for reading.