Soulful Sundays: Resolution

“You are under no obligation to be the same person you were five minutes ago.” -Alan Watts

Resolution is meaningless without flexibility. Binoculars allow incredible clarity at great distance, but one would never walk around with a pair fixed to their face. The same is true of determination. Willpower is essential for shaping the lives we wish to live, but ruthless pursuit eventually backfires. We fixate on the goal instead of the path, and we do so at our peril.

One of the most important lessons of life is understanding the power of perspective. Few variables are as influential as outlook: the reanimation of a discouraged team after a halftime speech; the renewed commitment to health following a difficult diagnosis; or the restored faith in life that comes with a second chance. These shifts feel almost magical—moments in which all the raw materials are already present, and the only thing missing is a catalyst. Yet a catalyst merely lowers the amount of effort required; it does not eliminate the work altogether.

Thus, we are called back to the path—a journey of a thousand miles—the ongoing task of adjusting the lens of attention so that we focus only on what truly matters. This kind of fine-tuning requires practice, endurance, and no small amount of resolution. But the object of that resolve is no longer arrival at any cost—it is learning how to travel without the promise of reward. The lighter our pack becomes, the more space we have for experience. As Laozi wrote, “To gain knowledge, add things every day. To gain wisdom, remove things every day.”