Do You Make New Year’s Resolutions?
Making New Year’s Resolutions is a custom in the Western Hemisphere, right?
Actually, you’ll find some people in the Easter Hemisphere also make promises for the coming year. The problem is, the majority of us abandon those good intentions before the end of January.
If you’re a fan of the Knights of the Roundtable, you might be inclined to take the “Peacock Vow” right after Christmas to reaffirm your oath to chivalry. As a dedicated fantasy fan, I could definitely find inspiration for a novel in that one!
The biggest news is that those who actually make New Year’s Resolutions and stick with them are far more likely to succeed than people who make commitments at other times of the year (Norcross, JC, Mrykalo, MS, Blagys, MD, J. Clin. Psych. 58: 397-405. 2009)
What Should We Do?
We can certainly approach this from a standpoint of the typical New Year’s Resolutions:
- lose weight
- eat healthily
- exercise more
- quit smoking
- quit drinking
- perform at a higher level at work
- write that book
- get out of debt
- think positive
- take classes to expand on my education
- volunteer more often
- get organized
- save money
- create gadget-free time
- laugh more
- travel
- make new friends
- reduce stress
- be less grumpy
- manage my time better
- start a new business
- spend more time with family
- enjoy time with friends
- explore new places
- read more books
- learn something new
I could go on and on with this list, but it becomes overwhelming.
Don’t be overwhelmed by your New Year’s Resolutions!
Follow my example and simply dedicate yourself to the resolution to always do better tomorrow than you did today.
You’ll be amazed at how uplifting this one solitary promise is in a hectic life.
You don’t have to concentrate on one thing. You simply strive to do a little better tomorrow than you did today. Your goal is always to be better in this game we call life than you were yesterday.
That can mean adding one healthy fruit or vegetable in the afternoon, instead of that candy bar.
It can simply be the extra thirty minutes you spend actually sitting down and listening to your child as they tell you about their day with NO DISTRACTIONS.
This year, when you make your New Year’s Resolutions, reduce the stress to only one promise: Today, I WILL be a better person than I was yesterday.
Happy New Year!
Be Safe… Be Loved… Pass it on!
