Eventually

As we near the end of January, I have a confession to make: I think better-in-2014 declarations are ridiculous. Not because research has proven only 8% of people ever achieve their resolutions (that's actually a bummer), but rather because an enthusiastic post or tweet is hardly an effort towards the progress we're already capable of making. Plus, if we are to dig deep into those souls of ours, we know the most valuable resolutions aren't accomplished in measurable successes. Take these brilliant intentions, for example:

"This year, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love and then speak it again." -Howard W. Hunter

I've decided to sincerely strive for each and every one this year. As for those epic, seemingly unattainable goals? I'll take them on, too, but quietly. We can want and work with all our might. We most definitely should. And yet the biggest and best, who and what we actually need most, oftentimes without even being aware of it, tends to happen outside the realms of our control. Opportunities have a way of creeping up on us once we've cleared the way for them to appear. Be and do... hope and dream... and trust.