It’s the start of a New Year, and in addition to the high street sales and PCDD (Post Christmas Depression Disorder), there are two things we can be certain of at this time of year; regrets and resolutions.

As we reflect on the year gone we’re bound to have regrets and can find ourselves thinking about the mistakes we made – the bad decisions, bad habits, unkind words, unhelpful comments, and broken promises.

The list could go on, and for sure, we could probably think of so much more that we’d have liked to have done better – if indeed at all.

Our natural response to this is to start thinking of things we want to commit to doing in this New Year. Many of us will have already drawn up a list of targets, goals and endless other things by which we’ll measure our performance by at some point in 2011.

In seeing this pattern in myself, I’ve determined to have no regrets and no New Year’s resolutions. Instead I’m simply going to be thankful for the good things that happened in 2010, and indeed the last decade, take lessons from the things that didn’t go so well, and begin the New Year – and decade – with a blank canvas.

Starting afresh in 2011

I like the idea of a blank canvas because it gives the sense of newness, opportunity and adventure. As you look at a blank canvas – or whiteboard depending on how you’re wired – it’s possible to think one of two things.

‘Where do I start?’ or, ‘What if I make a mess?’

My response is simple – just start, and don’t be afraid of making a mess! Grab the charcoal, pencil, oils, or whiteboard marker, and get going!

Start making a mess and don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. It’s far better to get messy than to sit wishing you’d started the things you’d dreamed of, or being on the sidelines instead of being a part of the action.

Sure there’ll be things you’ll be unhappy with and mistakes you’ll make, but the inevitability of these shouldn’t hold you back from reaching towards your dreams. Instead, be prepared to quickly make amends, apologise, ask for forgiveness where needed, and move on.

Why no New Year’s resolution?

I see no point in making a list of New Year’s resolutions that will only be used as a rod for our own backs in 2011.

Though I completed much of what I planned for in 2010, including the Run to the Beat Half Marathon, for which my sponsors and I raised £1,028 for Cancer Research, there were other things I failed miserably at.

And you know what? – I don’t care. I can be glad about what I achieved and be thankful that those closest to me are still alive and well despite.

As with every year, 2010 wasn’t without its ups and downs. But though to varying degrees we would’ve all experienced loss, sadness and pain, we can, with the right perspective, see again that even these events will serve towards making us stronger, wiser and more grateful in 2011.

Have no vision or goals?

I’m not implying that we shouldn’t have vision or goals. Of course we should – they’re very important!

For me, 2011 brings with it things I want to accomplish, areas I want to continue to develop in, and new interests that I’d like to explore. I want to grow in creative expression through different mediums – writing – photography – art.

And most importantly, I want to be a better husband, father and friend.

We all need vision and goals

Had I not followed my training plan and stuck with it for the better part of the twenty plus weeks, I wouldn’t have had a chance of completing the Run to the Beat Half Marathon within my target time in September 2010.

But though we need them because they motivate us towards their end, vision and goals aren’t to be so fixed that we become entrapped by unrealistic expectations.

You see, I may not have read through the Bible following a set reading plan as I’d intended. But that’s not to say that I didn’t get lots of food for thought and encouragement during the times when I did.

Our life circumstances and desires change – and as a result, our ‘fixed’ goals can become obsolete, void, and purposeless too.

That’s why the start of this new decade won’t be marked by New Year’s resolutions for me.

But rather, a growing commitment to live in the freedom that comes from becoming more content with being me, the joy experienced in knowing that I’m loved and accepted by God, and the blessings of being able to love and be loved by those he’s placed in my life.

Wishing you a fantastic and dream accomplishing 2011!