I never make a new year鈥檚 resolution.

Why? It鈥檚 as simple as the fact I know I won鈥檛 keep it. Not making one in the first place saves me from future disappointment and the feeling of failure.

It鈥檚 not that there aren鈥檛 things I鈥檇 like to resolve to do. I have books I want to read, hiking trails I want to traverse and snowboard tricks I want to learn.

Unfortunately for me, the turn of the year will not magically bring me any more time or energy. I鈥檒l still be working 40 hours a week and trying in vain to keep up with chores and errands.

In all likelihood, my books will remain unopened, new hiking trails will not be the recipient of my footprints and I鈥檇 be immeasurably stoked to learn a board slide, let alone a 360.

If this all seems depressing to you, well, it is. But it also isn鈥檛, because I鈥檓 going to work hard to prove myself wrong.

One of the most unfortunate lessons I have learned during my 23 rotations around the sun is that making improvements to my life takes time and dedication. Lame, right?

I learned that the hard way in my efforts to overcome my then-awful Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) that pretty-well ruined two years of my late teens. Seeing a therapist, getting a prescription and getting back into the outside world doing things I love proved to be immensely difficult. It also gave me perspective.

I didn鈥檛 beat that overnight. In fact, something like that never really goes away; it just became manageable thanks to my efforts.

Applying that logic to my everyday life (in which I think about action sports 24/7), I鈥檓 not going to learn a board slide overnight. I also probably won鈥檛 ever learn every trick I want to 鈥� and that鈥檚 okay.

I reckon I鈥檓 one of the world鈥檚 strongest advocates for telling people not to beat themselves up and celebrating the small victories in everyday life.

So if you鈥檙e fed up with new year鈥檚 resolutions, join me in just trying to do your best instead.

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