Over the years I have made many New Year’s resolutions, and like so many other people, I have not kept them.

They have included being more fit (I keep that one), learning Spanish (I’m trying, but not very hard), being kinder (too vague with no way to quantify it. I mean, who’s my judge, someone who’s mad at me?), making more money (easy to quantify, but isn’t that the purpose of working anyway?), and on and on. The point is I haven’t done well with resolutions so I changed my approach.

I evolved my resolutions into five-year, one-year and what-can-I-be-doing-now plans. They’ve worked; I’ve gotten a lot accomplished. I’ve done this to follow the old saying that, “no one plans to fail; they fail to plan.” It’s true; without goals, without something to reach for, I never reach at all. This has worked very well for me and so into this New Year, I will refine my five-, one- and now plans to suit where I am today.

The reason this has worked is that I hold myself accountable every month. The first Sunday of the month is my time to take out the written plans and grade myself. This can be equally depressing and uplifting, but always satisfying. I’m advancing, improving, growing and learning. I’m changing it this year though; the plans are not cutting it for me anymore. I need to make resolutions; correction, I need to make a resolution.

This year I resolve to do it better. That’s it, the only one — simply to do better. Whatever I write on that page, whatever I plan, whatever I have set as my goal, I will do it better, pursue it better, keep track better, work harder and achieve; maybe not more, but better.

I’m taking it further than that. I resolve to do better in all aspects of my life, even those I don’t include in some plan. I resolve to keep pressing forward, to keep pushing, to not slack off, to not be satisfied with where and what I am, but to press ever forward. Even if I achieve one of my written goals with ease, speed, or through fortune, I resolve to continue pressing forward, to get even better and to push it beyond what I desired or planned. I know there is more in me; I need to push myself.

Isn’t that what resolutions are, a recognition of a shortcoming and a desire to improve? Then why not push yourself in all areas of your life? Work at it all. I don’t expect to achieve perfection, but I do expect to achieve improvement. I’ll take one step at a time, and then another, and another, and will arrive at a goal. Why not go beyond the goal? If I can be that good, why not better? There is no limit as far as I can determine as to how good at something I can be.

I’m excited about 2010, but more excited about 2011. When it comes around, I’ll be shining brighter because I am going to do it better. Care to join me?

David Wilson Atwood is a local freelance writer whose human interest columns offer a unique perspective.