NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS, AGAIN!

“Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.” - Helen Keller
 

As is customary this time of the year, I’ve had a couple of chats with people about New Year’s resolutions. No matter what you personally feel about making these resolutions, you can't avoid coming up against the stock lists with the most popular of these resolutions:
 

1)    Spend More Time with Family & Friends
2)    Exercise more, get fit
3)    Lose weight so as not to be obese
4)    Quit smoking
5)    Enjoy life more, be happier
6)    Quit drinking
7)    Get out debt
8)    Learn something new
9)    Help others more
10)    Get more organised
 

Most of us will be guilty of making these New Year’s resolutions at one stage or another. It makes us feel very good for a day or two, and the more determined amongst us may even print out the list and post it above our desk, or behind the toilet door, or the fridge, or somewhere else as visible. Needless to say that the use by date of these resolutions is quite brief and by the end of January these resolutions have been happily forgotten, the posted note has been taken down or something else has been posted over it, quite unceremoniously.
 

Many of us are overambitious with these resolutions and the more of them we adopt, the higher the risk of failure of achieving them. We could easily pick a few that are easily adhered to and hence achieved, but that would not be the point. I mean how serious is this achievable list?
1)    I will drink more liquor
2)    I will take up smoking
3)    I will stop exercising
4)    I will gain weight
5)    I will get into more debt…
 

These resolutions are very achievable by most people, but they are hardly inspiring and they will do you great harm. The very essence of a New Year’s resolution is to make us a better person and contribute positively to our life. That’s why they are so difficult to achieve and maintain.
 

Like most other people I also make some New Year’s resolutions, but I have managed to keep my list down to four.
1)    I shall be more moderate in all things, avoid excesses
2)    I shall give more of my time to be with the people that are important to me
3)    I shall take better care of my health
4)    I shall be more charitable
 

I’ll be very happy if I can adhere to the spirit of these for the whole of 2013. They are more or less achievable as they allow some leeway for interpretation and one can gauge how well they are progressing throughout the year by reviewing and assessing one’s behaviour every now and then.
 

How about you? Do you make New Year’s resolutions?