With the end round the bend,
Here we go again,
Resolutions penned
Life on the mend.
Technically, the first of January is just another date on the calendar, somewhat like our birthdays.
I mean we all know that aging is a gradual process. I’m aging as I type and you’re aging as you read. And yet, there is something special about that birthday as you officially get ‘a year older’.
The year end is a similar milestone, and for many, a time to make some resolutions, usually commitments to ourselves.
The resolutions come in many forms, mainly to start something, such as exercise, or to stop something; I guess smoking would top that list. Eating healthy is often on trend and an emerging one may be keeping a handle on that debt.
Unfortunately, January kicks in, life takes over, and resolutions often fade. We don’t need stats to tell us that but if you wanted to see the stats, there’s plenty available.
So the next year, we either stop setting resolutions, or look for some tips. Tips that tell us to set SMART goals, keep them simple, and make them obvious, the list goes on; and so does the cycle.
So why don’t tips work? And is it time we stop setting pointless New Year resolutions? Don’t get me wrong, I am all up for continued self-improvement and you have to make a start somewhere, so why not the New Year? And that’s exactly the point I want to make. Why wait for the New Year? If we really cared to do something, do we have to wait for a calendar date to begin?
It’s definitely a trigger, but just maybe a touch overrated, short-lived and just not compelling enough to sustain you though the year?
Don’t take my word for it. Think back from the successes you are proud of and look for a common denominator. I bet you more often than not, it’s not about the tip but the trigger. A more compelling trigger, one that is personal to you. New Year resolution tips often focus on ‘how’ to stick to your resolution, and I think I would like more focus on the purpose, the ‘why’.
My point being that when we get the right trigger which gives us a reason, a resolve just happens. It is not dependant on a milestone date or time, that moment becomes your milestone. And once we have reached that point, tips are ‘nice to have’, but we get there regardless. Each year, a friend of mine made resolutions to quit smoking. Nothing worked until one day when his little son asked him quite innocently, ‘Dad, the pack says smoking kills, are you going to die soon?’ He has never smoked since.
So before you start to pen down your resolutions, ask yourself, do you really have the will to want to do this? Why does it mean so much to you? And if it does, could you make a start today? And if you feel now is not the time, just enjoy the New Year bash and stay happy.
The New Year is a great line in the sand, time to reflect, take stock and scan the horizon. After all, January is named after the two faced Roman God Janus, who is looking into the past as he looks into the future too. And when it comes to resolutions, Shakira nails it when she sings, ‘Is it true that you want it? Then act like you mean it …I dare you’.
Good luck and a very Happy New Year to you.
I’d like to hear your resolutions. You can write to me at [email protected].
