No. 27: New Year's Resolutions
January 1st 2009 20:07
Looking ahead
We put in another computer, then lost the highway picture we were using. We had a reader email it back to us from some former posts she had saved. We feel it is best to be consistent, then more people will recognize the posts instantly. We are sorry for the disruption.
About New Year's Resolutions...
Well, here we are at the perennial "New Year's Resolution" time again. Each year some of us cannot resist the challenge to proclaim that which we intend to bring about. If the results are any indication, for most, resolutions appear to be more acts of goal settings than true commitments.
Now, I cannot speak for you, but for me goal setting is more often than not, to please others more than myself. Managers and would-be "straw-bosses" love to insist we write down our goals, then submit them as ammunition for future review. Usually, they bring them up later in the year to badger and brow-beat us for not accomplishing them. Some of you are experiencing this dilemma at the beginning of every year. This is why I intentionally set my goals lower than they expect and then produce more. This way they are pleased and I get satisfaction by exceeding them also.
New Year's resolutions are similar. You may want to stop smoking or loose weight, scuba dive or work in a soup kitchen part time. Maybe, you just want to have a more rewarding promotion or career. Whatever you set as your goal/resolution, there are some things, you would be well advised, to keep in mind.
1) Never make a resolution that is impracticable or impractical. An impracticable resolution would be one that is not workable. Examples could be: a) If you are a "90-lb. weakling," do not expect to be a world-class body builder within three months. There will be simply too little muscle mass with which to begin. Spread this type of resolution over many months, then you are not disappointed and abandon the goal/resolution too soon. b) You want to go skydiving this year. It would be impracticable if you are 85 years old with osteoporosis. c) The same would apply to attempting weight loss in too short a time span. It may be better stretching the process out over more time--even if this is years! Maybe the resolution should be to lose a kilo/month instead of 4 kilos/month.
A practical resolution is one that makes common sense on other levels. An example would be a resolution to buy clothes that fit your body now that you have lost the weight from last year's resolution. Seeing a physician, acupuncturist, or hypnotist to assist you in smoking cessation is another example.
2) If you have chosen a feasible and workable resolution, then make a solid commitment, because, if you fail, you are burning too much energy, wasting too much time and disrupting the flow of positive impulses to your self esteem.
3) Obviously, the resolution should be ethical, moral, legal and positive. If your resolution is to get promoted by having the boss's brake lines cut. Oops! This is wrong in all of the aforementioned, and should not be undertaken. lol
4) If you fail, and next year at this time, you feel you need to recommit to the old resolution or begin a new one, DO NOT feel guilty. Instead, praise yourself for realizing the need or desire, and then making the commitment in the first place. Look inside yourself and evaluate the former resolution. Was it both workable and practical? If yes, then try again. If no, then abandon it until a yes answer applies, or you have taken on a new resolution altogether.
Many noble New Year's Resolutions have advanced us, both personally and socially. Here is wishing you the best in making them and in achieving them.
Keep it between the lines.
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