New Years Day

Well kids, we did it...The world did not blow up, there was no zombie apocalypse (honestly I'm a little disappointed. I even got a hatchet for Christmas!), and the end of all things did not fall upon us yet. So be it.

Before I get to what I want to write, I thought I would post an update for the few of you who actually know what The Nemesis Diary is...80,000 words, 50 chapters, and more than 250 pages later, it's still not done. What I can tell you is that it will be shortly. Stay tuned. Those of you who don't know what this is, feel free to bounce over to http://thenemesisdiary.blogspot.com and introduce yourself. No, Jared Donovan is not based on me.

Now that all of that business is out of the way, let's talk about what everyone talks about at this time of year: trivial and well-intentioned goals for the next calendar year. Let's spend more time with family. Let's fall in love! Let's lose weight! Let's be a better friend! Let's write a novel!!! (Easy, Steve...you're getting awfully close to something there...)

Yep, it's going to be one of those kind of posts...

For all the good intentions that we have, most of us tend to pick goals that are very difficult to be accountable for. Is there an imaginary bucket somewhere that every time I'm a 'better friend' I get a quarter? Is there a special Tootsie Roll fairy that leaves me treats when I have spent enough time with my family?

In most cases, I don't think there is a Tootsie Roll fairy (although there should be. I'd be a lot nicer I think). I don't think there is a bucket waiting for me to finish being a good friend. What there is and isn't aren't really what I'm looking for anyway. What I am looking for now is purpose. It doesn't matter what the goals we choose are, only that we pursue them to the best of our ability and be accountable for them.

Si vis pacum, parabellum. Latin, for 'If you wish for peace, prepare for war.' I was watching some movies the other night that inspired me to write this. The first film I watched was The Punisher, which is where I got the Latin. Not a surprising choice, I've watched it a lot over the years. I love superhero movies and I also love revenge stories (again, see The Nemesis Diary). But when I heard that phrase, it resonated for the first time. A call to arms of a sort...The next film I watched was Wanted, which is a great show also. But it ends with something that gave me the chills. It ends with the main character saying: I'm taking back power of my own life...what have you done lately?" Goosebumps, kids.

The reason this seemingly random-placed paragraph is in this post is because it is the filter through which I am viewing 2013. What have I done lately? That's what resolutions are all about!

I've failed miserably at some of my previous resolutions, and I'm sure I'll fail again. What I can tell you is that I will not stop trying. This is my word, this is my promise. The Steve you know is changing, evolving, and will not stop until my resolutions...not resolutions, promises are fulfilled. This is my call to arms, even if I am the only one who hears it.

So choose the favorite resolutions. Be vague, and follow through to the best of your ability. That's what most of us do. .

But...remember that you are accountable to yourself, and the only one who will know whether you kept your resolution is you.

But I'm taking back the power of my own life. No excuses; I intend to succeed. And 365 days from right now, I'm going to ask myself one question: What have you done lately?