By Joshua Thomas

C-S-E Editor

I doubt I’m the only person with a sketchy relationship to new year’s resolutions. I think that a resolution can be a great motivator, but a failed resolution has the ability to leave a person feeling lousy. At worst, too many failed resolutions might cause a person to give up on them altogether, when I think that we just need to keep plugging away at creating challenges that work for us individually.

I’ve found I respond best to fluid goals rather than concrete ones. I recently tried to give up soda, substituting water. That worked for about a minute, until it became too much, too fast, and I suddenly found my refrigerator stocked with more carbonated sugar water than ever before, my dreams filled with dastardly treks across deserts just for one refreshing, bubbly sip.

To avoid these frenzied, soul-crushing dreams, I decided some time ago to make resolutions that would be pleasurable to keep, all while improving my life somehow, even if only by small measures.

In the spirit of making goals I’ll enjoy fulfilling, I resolved this year to introduce new challenges into my life as much as possible. In terms of art, I can push myself by trying new techniques and pieces of equipment, working with new subjects, finding creative ways to expand my audience.

There are endless avenues to explore in terms of food. I often tell my friends and family that my senses are enough to reasonably send me running from some food items. I wonder if that statement acts as a tether, holding me back from trying new things with an open mind. I say I know myself well, and that’s why I can make such statements, so, now the challenge becomes expanding the ways I think I know myself.

The goal of facing new challenges can be applied anywhere in life. Bring your community into the fold by asking yourself some of the ways that you haven’t yet experienced your surroundings. How can we enjoy the community in ways we haven’t yet?

For instance, I once made a goal to capture things I see daily, through photography, in a new light. That goal in mind, I walked around at night photographing interesting scenes and buildings lit by the moon, or streetlights, and it changed my perception of surroundings I previously thought I was very familiar with. It expanded my relationship to them, and continues to.

The goal can also apply to family. There are stories we’ve heard family members tell a million times, but there are undoubtedly untold angles that can be exposed with just a few well placed questions.

Small expansions in numerous areas really add up.

I think that if we’re constantly challenged, we’re constantly growing. Life’s not necessarily about whether we’re successful at meeting firm goals, but how we handle each challenge, and how we utilize what we’ve learned.

This year, I hope for fulfilling, thought-provoking experiences for everybody I know, and may my path intersect with those I haven’t yet had the pleasure of meeting during our shared journey onward and upward in 2013.