Don’t regret, just act

Weeks ago, as I was waiting for a close friend at a café, I was compelled to hear a confabulation among a circle of chic-looking young women. One of them was stating, “Being pretty wrapped up with plenty of professional tasks, I have been perpetually grappling with a paucity of time, with no time even for parents. So my New Year’s resolution was to pay them a weekly visit, no matter what. But, as luck would have it, I have not been able to visit them for a few weeks as something or other keeps suddenly springing up that needs my attention. Now, I am hounded by this horrible guilt of being highly incapable of keeping a resolution that I made voluntarily.”

The second person in the group started, “Speaking of resolutions, I had set my mind on shedding weight with strict fitness regimes, besides steering clear of stoking myself with surplus food. But lo! Virtually every day, there is some social celebration with a sumptuous spread of scrumptious delicacies, and I am going ga-ga gobbling them up! It is like, ‘Just as promises are made to be broken, resolutions are made to be forgotten!” She went on, “Really, I feel like a feckless person, not being able to follow fitness rules or forbid myself from food gorging.”

Well, many of us have sailed through this salvo of “resolution making and breaking’ and feel swamped by severe guilt when we are unable to stick to our resolutions. Yes, having target resolutions is crucial, as they give a sense of significance and direction to life. When we reflect on the vagaries of life, we can see even the most meticulously planned things go pathetically awry at times.

It is good to remind ourselves that not sticking to resolutions does not mean a lack of determination. It is simply some unavoidable circumstances that attempt to obstruct our objectives and goals. I’ve been putting off plans to spruce up the interiors for a long time because I’m a stickler for keeping my house in tip-top shape. I was seriously resolving to start, but somehow, never got myself to start. Then, all of a sudden, I simply went about completing my long-planned mission, meticulously cleaning up all spaces until they were squeaky clean!

Later, I made a resolution ‘to not make a resolution’! Instead, just go ahead and do the things right away!