A Different Type of New Year’s Resolution

I created a sketch video about a different type of New Year’s Resolution.

It’s a new year which means it’s a chance for new beginnings. So when we think of New Year’s Resolutions, we often imagine starting something new. Start a new habit or break a bad habit.
Pursue a big accomplishment. Run your first marathon. Save more money. Write that epic novel. Learn how to play a new instrument. Work out each day. While new goals are great, there is value in choosing to maintain current systems and habits.

Maintenance is proactive. It helps us prevent problems before they surface. By focusing on maintaining, we also stay more grateful. It reminds us that the epic life is often found in the mundane and the ordinary. We begin to internalize the idea that we are already okay in our present state without doing more or being more.

However, we tend to view maintenance as boring. We have ribbon cutting ceremonies for new bridges but traffic cones to maintain existing ones. We watch home improvement shows with bold renovations but no one is watching a show about cleaning out gutters. Universities name new buildings after patrons but nobody asks for the naming rights to the custodial crew.

This is why it helps to create a maintenance goal.

Choose a current habit, system, or relationship that you might neglect in the next year. Then, create a goal to maintain it. Set aside time in your calendar to make it happen. It could be having coffee with a friend you no longer work with or it could be the habit of reading each day or spending time with loved ones. Track your progress along the way. It could be a streak that you keep or a running tally. Create benchmarks and celebrate when you reach key milestones.

Maintenance isn’t as fun as starting something new. But it is absolutely vital to living a better life.