Before my diagnosis with leukemia, two years ago at the age of 22, I'd always excelled at making resolutions. But I was never as good at keeping them.
In this quote, Suleika Jaouad, an American writer and health advocate, reflects on the nature of resolutions and personal growth before and after her diagnosis with leukemia at the age of 22. She acknowledges that while she had always been good at making resolutions, especially for self-improvement or life changes, she struggled with actually keeping them. Jaouad's words highlight the common human tendency to set high aspirations but find it difficult to follow through on them, a challenge that many face in various aspects of their lives.
Jaouad's statement becomes more poignant when considering the impact of her leukemia diagnosis. After facing a life-threatening illness, she likely experienced a shift in her priorities and perspective, realizing that the resolutions she once set might not have been as meaningful as she initially thought. This acknowledgment of her past struggles with maintaining her goals contrasts sharply with the serious challenges she faced in her health journey, where survival and recovery became the more pressing focus, overshadowing typical personal resolutions.
The origin of this quote lies in Jaouad’s journey with cancer and how it changed her outlook on life. In her memoir Between Two Kingdoms, she chronicles her experiences with illness, treatment, and the long road to recovery, offering profound reflections on how facing such a significant health challenge can reshape one’s understanding of priorities and personal goals. Jaouad’s struggle with resolutions is part of a larger narrative about coming to terms with what truly matters in life, especially in the face of mortality.
Ultimately, Jaouad’s words remind us of the fragility of life and how it can prompt a reevaluation of what we value most. While resolutions and personal goals are important, they may not always align with the deeper, more immediate needs of the human spirit when faced with crisis. Her quote emphasizes the idea that the challenges we face—such as illness—can force us to grow, adapt, and shift our focus toward what is truly essential for our well-being and survival.
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This quote hits me in a surprisingly tender way. It reminds me of how easy it is to confuse productivity with purpose. When you’re young, life can feel endless and full of time to do everything 'later.' A diagnosis like Suleika’s forces you to face the reality that 'later' isn’t guaranteed. How do you decide what’s truly worth pursuing in the time you have? That feels like a question we should all be asking.
MDQuang Minh Do
I admire the honesty in admitting the difficulty of following through. It’s such a human thing, especially when you’re young and feeling invincible. I imagine that being confronted with something like leukemia at 22 changes your relationship with time, plans, and promises. I’d love to know if she now approaches goals differently—more gently, more urgently, or more intentionally? There’s so much wisdom in how illness reshapes personal discipline.
ATLe Phan Anh Thu
This quote makes me wonder—do we put too much pressure on ourselves to be productive, especially when we’re healthy? It’s like we only give ourselves permission to slow down or reevaluate when something major happens. Suleika’s reflection suggests that illness brings a new kind of clarity. But why wait for crisis to truly prioritize what matters? Maybe we need to rethink how we define success altogether.
Ttthao
There’s something so raw and relatable here. I’ve often made resolutions that felt ambitious in the moment but were quickly forgotten. It hits hard thinking about how a life-changing diagnosis might recalibrate what counts as important or achievable. Did Suleika's experience transform her understanding of self-discipline—or did it free her from the burden of constantly needing to 'achieve'? That shift in mindset must be both painful and enlightening.
LNNhat Linh Nguyen
This quote really makes me think about the difference between intention and action. So many of us are great at setting goals, but life—especially something as serious as illness—has a way of reordering what truly matters. I wonder if her diagnosis helped her see which resolutions were meaningful and which were just noise. How often do we set goals that reflect external pressure rather than internal truth?