it's about the bandwagon

I'm reading a lot of posts and pages this time of year with the common theme of resolution making and goal setting.

Tom Johnson has a funny post about why people fail to achieve their goals. Beth and friends provide a few interesting writerly perspectives on goals and goal setting. And Derek writes a thoughtful (and unknowingly motivational) passage about achieving multiple goals without losing focus.

My decision to make a New Year's resolution for 2008 went something like this:

"Honey, how are doing with your exams? You haven't talked about them in a while."

"Exams... yeah. Hey, do you think the kids would like that sea food stew we have leftover from Christmas?"

With that exchange (and a critical mass of resolutions hitting full stride at week's end), I've resolved to finish my quals and move onto the next chapter. Work will always be busy. The kids will always need something. The house will always need patching. There's always something, so the excuses are endless and wearing incredibly thin.