Resolutions

Forget New Year’s Resolutions.

While there is something about setting a resolution for the new year, try setting life-long resolutions.

This is what young Jonathan Edwards did. In his early twenties he compiled a list of resolutions that he sought to live by throughout his life. According to the document from which we have this list, Edwards aimed to read his list of resolutions once per week.

One of my favourites is resolution number six, which states, “Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.”

Living on purpose requires the establishment of such resolutions, or aims in life. What is your “code” that you live by? What guides your decisions?

Something does. Even if you haven’t thought about it. Without statements of resolve or purpose, your decisions will be made based on intuition, feeling, emotion, and many other inconsistent and fallible guides.

Like Edwards, I do not want to live in this way. I want to live with intention, purpose, and in a particular direction, so that I do not come to the end of this week, this month, this year, or this decade, with regret.

Like Edwards, I resolve,

…never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.