Resolved: what does it mean to you?

Dictionary.com defines "resolved" as "firm in purpose or intent; determined."

New Year's Day is five weeks and five days away. For most people in the USofA, it is associated with the dropping of "the ball," January, confetti, late-night parties, and New Year's resolutions. I don't have any statistics to back me up, but I'm going to venture a guess and say that most New Year's resolutions have to do with weight loss in some capacity or another. Others have to do with being more productive, spending less, being a better person, etc. All of these are fine goals on the outside, but how long to they usually last? Why are they tossed away so quickly?

I believe the key lies in the motivation. If your motivation sounds something like this, "I'm going to lose weight because I want to feel better about *myself,*" or, "I'm going to give more to the needy because I want to feel better about how much *I* have," the chances of your resolution lasting more than a couple months are not high.

So what should you do? What have I done? What does resolved mean to me?  Well, for starters, quit associating resolutions with New Year's Day. I recently gave up watching most of the eleven TV shows I followed every week. (Granted, they weren't all on all year 'round, but that's still way too many.) Every time I had a big photo shoot to edit, I'd just find another show to watch while I worked, then I would be hooked. God had been poking at me about this for some time, but I just wasn't ready to give it up yet. When I came to the conclusion that I was going to do this, I didn't think of it as a New Year's resolution, if fact, the thought didn't even occur to me until someone told me yesterday what they're doing better for 2012. I just saw it as something that needed to be done, something that needed to change because God said so.

I am resolved.  I have decided between me and God that, even if I have the time to watch something, those shows won't be an option, and I won't be finding any more.  Why do I believe I can stay on this path without faltering?  My motivation.  I'm not doing this for myself.  God said I needed to, I saw that He was right, I did it.  There are other reasons I could list, such as the fact that following so many shows messed up my priorities, etc., but those are really just the reasons behind God saying so.  In the end, His word should be all I need as a reason to do anything.  His commands should always be at the top of my "to do" list.

What do you need to change right now and not wait for the New Year?  What means enough to you to commit your life's work to it?  What are you resolved to do?

With every post, I intend to include a picture I've taken that may or may not have anything to do with the post in which it resides.  This was was taken in Colorado a few years ago.  I just recently edited it properly.