What to write for the start of a New Year?
I have never been dreading a year as much as this one.
But here we are, and I might as well put some words to the page.
Do you remember fortune tellers? The paper kind made mostly by kids in junior high but still made by me.
So. Possibly you’re a resolutions-are-a-waste-of-time type of person. This is a rational, reasonable way to be. I doubt Spock would entertain a paper fortune teller, and Spock is my favorite across all of Star Trek.
Maybe you prefer the idea of goals instead of resolutions. This morning I listened to Write-Minded: The New Year’s Un-resolution Show and Story-a-Day: What Are You Turning to This New Year? I’ve skimmed over NPR’s Life Kit’s New Year Resolution Planner. Will I follow any of it. Mmmm…
But here’s the blog version of my paper fortune teller for the New Year.
Pick a number.
One.
You have ONE BIG GOAL. None of this small stuff. Tape it to your desk. Join a group of like-minded folks. GO!
Three.
Three is the magic number. Three is also considered the perfect number. Wishes come in threes. So does time–the past, the present, and the future. Three is divine. So why not three goals? They can be big–write that memoir–or just joyful–pet more dogs.
Ten.
The number for top-ten and best-of lists. Austin Kleon is expert at this. And ten is the number of completeness. Ten feels ambitious but not foolhardy (well, I guess that depends on the goals).
Ever-Changing or Infinite.
Why set a list for an entire year? A year is both a blink of an eye and an incredibly long time. Plan a resolution for a month and check back in. What’s next? What’s workable? How has life surprised you? Don’t set yourself for failure when the New Year comes round again and you see what you didn’t accomplish. (Think of those gym memberships forgotten by the middle of January.) Heck, can you even remember what goals you set last year (if you did such a thing)?
Whatever the number, I liked what Grant Faulkner suggested in the Write-Minded podcast. You may not need goals or resolutions. Perhaps aim for experiences over goals: a class, a local museum visit, a coffee date with a friend you haven’t seen in a while.
Some folks say that resolutions are out and words are in. I’ve written about this before. Pick a word to represent your hopes or aspirations. This is also not everyone’s cup of tea. And as I’ve said many times, picking a word for an entire year seems impossible. Take the miserable 2023. Such unexpected things happened. My life is now nothing like I expected or wanted. But I’m a writer and an English teacher and I love words. Words are art, after all. And they’re also magic spells. Corny though some people may feel choosing a word is, people do it for a reason. I think it helps us focus, connect, feel grounded. Why else did people invent mantras, chants, and witchcraft?
But I’ll do this year what I did last, and I’ll choose a word for a month. I write the word at the top of the pages in my planner. Does it manifest anything. I dunno about that. But it does remind me of where I was at the start of the month and what my hopes were. Sometimes we need to be reminded. Sometimes we need something to get us to take a breath. Since there’s a lot I have to deal with this month that I absolutely do not want to deal with, my word to kick off this New Year is breathe. There’s so much tension and anxiety happening right now, I have to remember to take a deep breath. The only forward is through, after all. And you can’t move forward if you suffocate.
Happy New Year, y’all. Thanks for reading. And let me know your number or your word or your thoughts on what 2024 might bring.
Edited to add a link to The Art of Noticing. His latest post has some other eclectic resolution ideas.
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Marta Bacon 
What a fantastic column, Marta. Brimming with good ideas, insight and links.
My number is 12–my birthday is in December the 12th month, there are twelve months in the year. Twelve signifies a change or turning point. You can divide so many numbers into twelve: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6.
My word for the year is treasure. It can be a verb, noun or adjective as in treasure chest or treasure map. I want to treasure each day, find the treasure in each experience and create some treasures, too!!
Hope to see you soon, Robin. 🪻
Excellent number choice! It is the number of harmony and balance. Also, I like the word choice. There is much to treasure in life in spite of the madness.
Thanks for taking the time to read my post!
My pleasure! Happy Writing!