There are many times we may think to start over, do something new: birthdays, the first day of a new season, starting a new job, first day at a new school, moving to a new place. Each of those is personal — my birthday, your new place, their new job. Not everyone sees a new season as a new beginning, and when we do (I’m one of them) it’s because the season means something to me.

But New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are celebrated throughout the world, and many of us think about a New Year’s resolution (and most have probably adopted one or more)– something that we want to start, or do differently, or change. The inside look of the title is the reason we are thinking of or actually making these changes.

The easiest thing to see is whether the goal is taking me forward or backward. For example, this year in an effort to increase my health I have decided to eat differently — not only in terms of food but how it looks on the plate and seeking to enjoy meal time with many others. I want to have more energy to do the things that bring me joy, and making this change has helped — so far.

(I could just have easily decided to increase my health by deciding what I don’t want to do anymore. In fact, I did exactly that over a decade ago. Initially, I made progress that showed I was getting away from the unhealthy me I’d seen in the mirror. As the months went on, I lost focus because it was kind of like the old joke about the lost pilot’s message: ‘I have good news and bad news. The good news is that we’re making excellent time. The bad news is, I don’t know where we are.’)

Going away from something means not having any idea of what I’m doing and makes it hard to know why I’m even doing it. Still, I made some progress that felt good even when in the end I did not get anywhere. Just as our body is made to move forward more easily than backward, it is easier to move forward in our minds — if we know where we want to go and that Joy will follow our journey.

The only way to be all-in is to know where we’re going.