Of course, like most people, every year I get asked about mine. Usually I just chuckle and make a joke of some sort. This sometimes does not go over well with people who take their resolutions seriously, but my honest answer sometimes is worse if I don’t have the time to explain fully.
The truthful answer is that I do not make them. When I say that I am almost always asked why. If I have the time to explain all goes well. But if all I can say is that I try to think about my daily life as if every day was January 1st, some people get offended. Or even worse, think I am being an elitist, “I’m better than you”, type.
The longer explanation is that I don’t mean to imply that I have more willpower, spine, constitution or anything else. As a matter of fact, compared to some I have known, my resolution power is not all that great. Always doing what I know I should is a struggle for me just like almost any other busy person who likes cookies, ice cream, red meat, movies, sleeping late and who does not like solitary forms of regimented exercise. Fortunately, I can offset that with hockey, hiking, gardening, and all the healthy things I do like to eat.
I certainly do believe in trying to improve parts of your life that you feel could use improvement, it is just that I find myself more successful if I try to keep the New Year’s Resolution thing in mind year round. I know that if I made a big deal about January 1st, I would probably have a good run for a month or two, then fall off the horse and start waiting until the next New Year to try again.
I think it is also easier to be successful if you spread out your goals over the year because this allows you to chop them up into smaller, more realistic pieces. So, if you are New Year resolution type of person, maybe this year, try to make 12 “New Month” resolutions. Like most things in life, smaller pieces can be easier to digest!
So Happy New Year! and Happy February, March, April, May……… December, also. Remember that children’s story? Small steps really did work for the tortoise and they can for us also. Acknowledge your normal “shortcomings”. Find your own offsets and view them as the positives they are. Focus less on your small vices and you will be happier overall. Maybe next year you will find you don’t feel the need to make New Year’s Resolutions. Then you will just have to come up with your own answer when asked “why not?”.
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I have begun making monthly-resolutions” since 2007 because I found that those smaller chunks are more, well, digestible!
Happy New Year Pelf! Congratulations on all the submissions for your “Save The Oceans” group writing project. I see the first few are up and they all look great so far.
-Will
Hi Will, Happy New Year to you and all the best to you in 2008, I too never make resolutions because of the same reasons you have stated in your post, I find living my life the best way I can is good to go for me.
Hi Will, you said: ‘I think it is also easier to be successful if you spread out your goals over the year because this allows you to chop them up into smaller, more realistic pieces.’ – that is the best advice you can give someone. Well done. It is so true about some of us because we get so excited first two months, and then suddenly stop, like you said.
For example, when people start to exercise, they think that the first hour will make them in shape so they overwork themselves and the muscle ache starts next day and everything is over in matter of two days.
And don’t you love how market takes adventage of people, just to point out, I find that there are more commercials for weight loss on TV in January than any other months – loose 30 lbf in 2 weeks – for me is more like disappear in two weeks, lol.
Great post, Anna
That’s funny Anna! Your comments always have a twist to them that I love! I never noticed or thought about the commercials in January. But now I bet that is all I see the rest of the month! Sort of like the person who buys a bright yellow car because they think it is unusual and nobody else drives one. They purchase and drive it from the car dealer and on the way home they see 6 bright yellow cars.