Have you recently made some New Year’s resolutions? Are you hoping that this year they will be easier to follow than in previous years? In this article I explore some wisdom from the Celtic tradition which can help you to rise up to meet the challenges you have set for yourself. The circumstances of human life have greatly changed over the centuries, but the nature of the human soul is the same as it always has been. Ancient voices often speak to modern concerns.
One of the first things to do when making New Year’s resolutions (or any equivalent commitment) is to take a long hard look at our motives. What do we really want from life? Are these new goals going to help us get there? It can be very easy for us to have goals which seem like virtues on the surface but underneath are actually fueled by vices. Pelagius spoke to this tendency when he said,
“Truly you must follow humility, not the kind that is displayed and simulated by bodily gesture or by subduing the utterance of one’s words but that which is expressed in the natural disposition of one’s heart. For it is one thing to pursue the shadow of things, another the reality. The pride which hides beneath outward signs of humility is made much more ugly thereby. For, by some means or other, vices are more unsightly when they are concealed behind an outward semblance of virtue.“ (Trans by Rees)
A classic example of vice being disguised as virtue is when someone is very proud of their humility, always putting it on display for others to notice. We all know someone who has fallen into this trap, perhaps it is we ourselves. The same thing can happen in a myriad of different ways. Shame may be hiding behind a desire to get into shape. Greed may be hiding behind a desire to be more productive.
If our New Year’s resolutions are secretly fueled by vices such as these, they will never be able to bring us the spiritual fulfillment which our hearts truly long for. Now, of course, a desire to get in shape or to be more productive can also arise from a good place. It’s not that these goals are foolish in and of themselves. It is good to be healthy and productive, so long as we aren’t doing it because of shame or greed.
After reflecting on our motives, assuming they are reasonably wise, it is time to form some good habits and let go of some bad ones. Saint Mac Oige of the Céilí Dé said, “Whatever art you may put your mind to, you will need perseverance if you want to master the skill. This is particularly true for a person who has devoted themselves to the art of virtue.” (Trans by Ó Maidín)
The human mind can produce a plethora of legitimate sounding reasons for slacking. We often decide we are too busy or that the circumstances of life are preventing us from following through with our commitments. It is hard to establish new habits. It is easy to give up. But the more we persevere through the mental resistance we all experience, the easier it gets in the long run.
If we fall off the path we have laid out for ourselves (which is inevitable) it is easy to think the battle is lost. But, if we pick ourselves up every time we fall, we will form new habits and it will become easier with each repetition. We have to stand courageously before our own tendency to quit, choosing what is good instead of what is easy.
As Mac Oige points out, this is true of any art we wish to learn. We would not expect a musician to play the harp beautifully if he had not first practiced and struggled and persevered. Nor would we expect a carpenter to master her craft without continual effort and years of apprenticeship. If following through with your New Year’s resolutions proves to be difficult, remind yourself that it is perfectly normal. Struggle is always part of growth.
While it is important to persevere in our efforts, we must also be discerning in how we approach them. Bullheaded stubbornness is not the same as wise perseverance. Any virtue, when brought to an extreme, can become a vice. Columbanus, an early Irish monk, talks about the importance of moderation his rule of life. Virtues, he tells us, are found in the middle way between extremes. He said, “Just as error overtakes those who have no path, so for those who live without discernment excess is near at hand, always contrary to the virtues, which lie between the extremes.” (Trans by Davies)
We should not expect ourselves to make drastic and sudden changes in our well established habits. Small incremental steps are always better than grandiose plans. It is not a simple matter of mustering up the resolve, squinting our eyes, and gritting our teeth. What we actually have to do is train ourselves in incremental steps. Don’t go from a fast food diet to eating raw food vegan smoothies overnight.
Change one little thing at time and ease yourself into the new routine. If you have ever trained a dog to sit and roll over, or potty trained a toddler, you know how the process works. If you have the humility to see yourself in that light, as well as the perspective to be both trainer and trainee, you’ll get there one step at a time.
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