I have goals and aspirations — not New Year’s resolutions
Failing at resolutions overlooks the progress I've made in my recovery
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We’re nearly two weeks into the new year and I’m wondering, how are your resolutions going?
If your answer is, “Not so well,” take heart — Merriam-Webster says that while making New Year’s resolutions is an old practice, “The habit of breaking them is probably only a couple days younger.”
I know I’ve broken a lifetime’s worth of resolutions for things I believed I should do. They included the old classics like losing weight and exercising, but I never kept up the exercising part long enough to see any weight loss. I’ve often resolved to take vitamins regularly, only to forget a week into January. And I have a journal with a total of two entries; my resolution to keep it was quickly broken. Every time I come across that book, it feels a little bit like failure.
Going resolution-free
About six years ago, I stopped making New Year’s resolutions. Not-so-coincidentally, I was in the last third of my recovery from stem cell transplantation (SCT). Day 75 was Dec. 31, 2019, but I didn’t feel like making any resolutions because I wasn’t sure that my multiple myeloma would give me a fighting chance of keeping them.
Don’t get me wrong; I wasn’t feeling defeated or depressed, nor did I think I didn’t have long to live. I was actually feeling pretty good at that point. Most of the side effects of SCT had worn off. I was no longer on a neutropenic diet, and my taste buds and digestive system were back after being clobbered by melphalan, the chemotherapy drug given to patients before a stem cell infusion. I was long past the weakness of those first weeks post-SCT. I’d even lost weight already, although I do not recommend SCT as a diet plan!
But I was still learning the boundaries of my “new normal.” I knew those boundaries would change after Day 100, when I expected to start Revlimid (lenalidomide) maintenance, a treatment with its own set of side effects to manage. Every patient reacts to myeloma treatment differently, so I didn’t know whether that maintenance would let me carry on with life as usual, let alone introduce a new “should” to the equation.
My resolution reluctance came from not wanting to make promises — even to myself — that I might not be able to keep because of myeloma. After all, I’d spent most of 2019 relearning the meaning of “life happens when we’re busy making other plans,” and resolutions may just be the epitome of “other plans.”
Being resolution-free doesn’t mean not having aspirations or goals. There are still things I want to do and places I want to see, and I’m always aware of areas where I can improve. But I don’t have to set those goals on Jan. 1 and then kick myself when I “fail” on Jan. 10. If I take one step back after two steps forward, that’s OK. I’m still one step ahead of where I was, even if I do it on April 1 rather than Jan. 1.
One of my co-workers likes to say, “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” Consider that as you think about your New Year’s resolutions.
I think I’ll make just one resolution for 2026: to live to see a cure.
Note: Rare Cancer News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Rare Cancer News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to rare cancer.
Paul Dodd
Hope your wish comes true! 🥰