“New Year’s Day…now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.” Mark Twain
New Year’s Eve is the traditional time for people to take stock, re-evaluate their lives and decide what changes, if any, they’d like to initiate for the coming year.
Some common resolutions have to do with adopting healthier lifestyles by exercising more, losing weight and reducing stress. Other resolutions in the getting healthy category include quitting drinking or quitting smoking.
Another group of popular resolutions are those in the quality of life category. Many vow to have more fun and enjoy life more, spend less time working and more time with family and friends.
Others promise themselves that they will organize their lives. They will de-clutter their homes and their calendars, thus de-cluttering their minds. This, in turn, will give them time to volunteer or maybe learn a new language.
Many wish to concentrate on getting out of debt. They want to save money for retirement or dream vacations or for their children’s education. Some might just wish to rid themselves of the stress caused by owing money.
The truth of the matter is that resolutions, with all of our determination and good intentions, are almost always broken soon after the new year begins. There are those who, against all odds, have managed to keep them but that’s unusual.
So, maybe the answer is – no resolutions! If something is worth doing, it’s important enough to begin on any day of the year when it isn’t a “resolution.” It’s simply “something you’re doing that day.”
It’s much less intimidating, more practical and allows for the fact that we are imperfect human beings.
And, it’s much easier to be a person who is “doing something or not doing something on a particular day” than to commit to do it, or not do it, forever.
Can anyone really keep a commitment to exercise 30 minutes every day for the rest of their life, give up hot fudge sundaes or never make another frivolous purchase? Who can promise to keep their homes free of clutter and never overbook themselves?
Give yourself a break – just do the best you can each day. Accept that some days you’ll do better than others. There’s nothing wrong with that. You are, after all, human.