If asked to explain the word RESOLUTION I'd say it's the resolve to evolve.

Each year millions reenact the age-old ritual of self improvement and commitment on New Year's day by making a resolution. And research shows that only 12% keep it! What will it take to improve those odds?

The root of Chinese medicine is to align purpose with the will, which is like finding good dry wood and lighting it. The fire burns brilliantly with one match - an expression of aspiration with plenty of fuel. Will power gets us through tough spots, however the premium on being busy, working hard, and pushing to the extreme is only as valuable as the reason we are doing it. So its essential to know what that reason is! When aspiration is lined up with our deepest sense of purpose we have power to move forward despite challenges.

This year, what if you shift the focus to becoming more willing to embrace change itself rather than limit yourself to a discrete resolution, as positive at it may be (like eating fewer donuts or getting in shape)? In our core may dwell deep resistance to change itself, brought to light by an instinct to choose stability over upheaval at all costs.

As Sonia Sotomayor explains in her book, My Beloved World, the resolve to evolve surpasses the goal itself, transparent in each step rather than a finish line celebration, because the will to aspire won’t stop and never rests:

"Experience has taught me that you need not value dreams according to the odds of their coming true. Their real value is in stirring within us the will to aspire. That will, wherever it finally leads, does at least move you forward. And after a time you may recognize that the proper measure of success is not how much you've closed the distance to some far-off goal, but the quality of what you've done today."

As you contemplate the New Year, consider if your resolution makes sense, lines up with what matters most, and moves you forward? The resolve to evolve weakens resistance to change. And when inspiration wanes, yet you keep going anyway, you'll experience that strike of the match, brightened confidence, and the momentum of change itself.